Chiseling the Heart
by Mutinous Pirate
Summary: HIATUS.
1. Crash Landings and Fire

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing of The Santa Clause 2 or 3! I also do not own any songs. I do own the crazy names I put on the machines, shops, areas and what not and also, I can assume you know who is and isn't my character (elves included). Sorry if this story is similar to any other already posted, it was not my intention to copy anything._**

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><p>"One more time." Santa said as if he were speaking to a three year old.<p>

"Santa, I think he gets it." Curtis said, sighing in boredom. Santa looked over at him and then at his head elf, looking for his opinion.

"With all due respect, sir, I believe he understands what you are trying to say." Bernard said, bowing his head in respect.

"I just want to make sure he doesn't-"

"Corrupt her innocent mind! We get it!" They all said in unison.

"Santa, chill out already! I will not try and brainwash your little girl when she arrives. No problem." He said innocently, truly not interested in meeting Santa Claus's little angel.

"Good. Just remember that if you cause her any trouble or even bother her, Frost, I'll-"

"I got it the first time, Santa!" Jack Frost said as he laughed at the fat jolly elf man.

"Alright then, Comet should be back with her any minute." Santa said, sounding much more nervous than he had been for the past week.

"Santa, calm down. It's not like it's the first time you'll be seeing her. You have nothing to worry about and we have you're back." Bernard said, trying to calm Santa down.

"I know but it's just been so long and-" There was a loud crashing sound coming from outside. They all exited Santa's office in a hurry and rushed outside to see someone face-down in the snow and Comet was laughing his antlers off.

Santa rushed to her side. Curtis and Bernard helped him lift her up. Jack watched from afar with a sly smirk on his face. That smirk vanished when he laid eyes on the beauty that was Santa Claus's daughter. Her pale skin and rosy cheeks, her long, wavy blonde hair with icy blue highlights, her crystal clear blue eyes, her nice petite form with other certain attributes Jack did not fail to notice, she was a goddess. He just loved her sense of style; a tight fitting sweater with baby blue and white stripes, white skinny jeans with a few rips, black boots with faux fur on the top and a pair of puff balls hung from them, a black knit cap and a black scarf wrapped loosely around her neck. He nearly purred in delight, he was going to enjoy having her around.

"Hey, Santa!" She said happily as she embraced the big man clad in red tightly. She knelt down in front of Curtis and hugged him tightly, "Curtis, you look cute as ever!" She said, pinching his cheeks and he smiled sheepishly. She hopped up to her feet and planted a long kiss on Bernard's cheek before hugging him tightly, "Bernard! Still rocking the curls, I see." She said playfully as she tugged on one of his curls. "Oh, I missed you all so much!" She exclaimed.

"And we missed you too, honey. We are all happy to have you back," Santa turned to his elves who were gathering around, "Aren't we?" He exclaimed. They all agreed in perfect sync. That always freaked her out a little. She giggled.

Jack smirked, straightened his coat and practically skipped over to them. He stopped in front of her, smiling nicely. She smiled back awkwardly, glancing at her father for introductions. He seemed to roll his eyes, "This is-" He began but he cut him off.

He took her hand and placed a kiss on her hand, "Frost. Jack Frost." He said, barely lifting his lips off her hand. Shivers ran down her spine at the cold of it but it made her warm for some reason.

"I-I'm Belle. Nice to meet you, Mr. Frost." She said shyly.

"Oh, please, call me Jack." He said with toothy smile.

"Alright," Santa clapped his hands together, "let's get you settled in and then we can all go for some hot cocoa!" He said excitedly.

"Santa! Santa!" Two elves yelled as they ran toward them frantically, "Santa!"

"What, what? What's the matter?" He asked worriedly.

"There's a problem in the factory! One of the machines has caught fire!" They said frantically, again perfectly in sync.

"What machine?" Bernard demanded to know.

"Teddy Express!" They said before running off toward the Toy Factory or Work Shop, as others call it. Santa, Bernard, Curtis and the rest ran after them quickly. When they came through the doors it was complete chaos. Teddy Bears were flying everywhere, elves were running around in terror, the fire elves were nowhere to be found and the fire itself was huge.

Belle started to cough, her asthma acting up. She covered her mouth with her hand tightly so her dad couldn't hear her coughing. If he heard her, he'd panic. He always froze up when she had her small asthma attacks. Belle waved her hand in front of her to clear the smoke but that didn't work very well since she started to wheeze.

"Where on earth are those Fire Elves? Has anyone seen them?" Santa called over the screaming elves. No one seemed to hear him. "Curtis, go look for the Fire Elves!" He ordered. Curtis gave him a nod and ran off to find the Fire Elves.

Belle was having a hard time breathing. She felt like she wasn't getting enough air into her lungs. She knew she should leave but she wanted to help her father with the crisis. She coughed some more, hacking when she tried to catch her breath. Bernard saw this and grimaced at her. He pushed past some elves, being taller than most, and grabbed her wrist. Jack and Santa noticed this and were confused.

"Belle, what are you doing here? You know your asthmatic! You have to get out of here, now." He said sternly.

"B-B-But..." She coughed, "I can-" She gasped for air, "probably help." She sputtered.

"Not when your having an asthma attack." He barked. He looked at Santa, "May I?" He asked. Santa nodded and shooed them with his hand.

Bernard started to pull her out of the factory, using a bit of his force since she was resisting. He pulled her far enough and sat her on a bench. She immediately put her head into her hands and gasped for air, coughing violently.

"Where's your inhaler?" Bernard asked. She shook her head. "You don't have it with you? Your supposed to have it at all times, Belle." He scolded.

"I haven't," She swallowed the lump in her throat, "had an asthma attack in years, Bernard." She said, still breathing heavily.

"Still, you're supposed to have it at all times in case something like this," He pointed back at the factory, "happens." He sat down next to her and rubbed small circles on her back, trying to calm her down.

"Alright, I'm sorry." She breathed, choking on the air, causing her to cough again.

"Are you feeling better now that you've got some fresh air?" He asked her. She nodded her head, laying back into the bench wearily.

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><p>Curtis came running back into the factory, bumping into Jack who was watching calmly by the sidelines. Jack was waiting until the machine was damaged enough to step in. He watched as Curtis frantically told Santa that the Fire Elves were nowhere to be found. Of course they weren't, Jack told them that Santa had said they had the day off. It took him a while to finally convince them but he had done it all the same. Santa began to panic slightly when the giant machine started to spit sparks around and the fire grew higher, not nearly reaching the ceiling but it was dangerously high. By now people started to cough and Jack had a hard time breathing. He cleared his throat and walked up behind Santa, tapping his finger on his shoulder. He looked back at him with questioning look.<p>

"Need a hand there, Santa?" He asked calmly. Santa gave him a look of confusion. "Seriously?" Jack asked as if it were obvious, which it was yet Santa still had that dumb expression on his face, "Yeah, hi, I'm _Jack Frost_." He tried to hint the clueless man. His expression finally changed as he understood.

"Oh, yeah, that would be great." He clapped his hands to get the elves attention, "Everyone, stand back! Jack is going to take care of this!" He said as everyone scrambled away.

Jack inhaled a lot of air, his face turning blue and then blew it all out on the flaming machine. The fire wasn't exactly put out, it was more like put out and then frozen. Hard ice was covering the machine almost entirely and the smoke was rising high up, consuming everything in the place.

"Come on, someone crack a window!" Santa said as he started to cough. Some elves got right to that as the rest of them exited the building. They all looked at Santa with an expectant look. He cleared his throat, "Alright everyone, we'll wait until things clear out in there and then we'll get right back to work. I'll get some elves to work on the Teddy Express right away." He said, dismissing his elves until further notice.

Curtis pulled on Santa's pant leg and he looked down at him. "I don't mean to be a Bernard but Christmas is just two weeks away, sir. Don't you think we should try and speed up the process?"

Santa chuckled, "Relax, Curtis. We're ahead of schedule actually and I would like some time with my daughter, thank you very much." He said as he looked around, searching for his daughter. Instead, he spotted Bernard and Judy running up to him with no Belle. They looked worried. Santa groaned, "What now?"

"It's an emergency, Santa," Judy said.

"And that wasn't?" Santa asked, pointing back at the smoking factory.

"This is much worse, Santa, much, much worse than that." Bernard said, sounding as much as a pushover as he usually sounded like. Santa raised an eyebrow, indicating that he was waiting for the bad news, "We just received word that there have been five, count them, _five_ new entries into the Naughty List, sir."

"Oh no, how could that be?" Santa asked, sounding very disappointed. "Well, who are they?" He asked, almost afraid to know.

"Angelica Edwards, Robert Jones, Donnie Ruiz, Sean Watson and Jay Alva." Judy informed him.

"_What_? That can't be right, Jay has been on the Nice List for six years straight and the boys' eighteen. And little Angelica wouldn't be naughty, she's only two!" He said in disbelief and disappointment.

"I'm sorry, Santa but we don't make mistakes." Judy said.

"I know, I know and I suppose you need me to sort some things out in the office, right?" Santa asked sarcastically. Judy and Bernard both grimaced and averted their gaze. "Of course I do. There always has to be something keeping me from my daughter. Can't fail." He said sarcastically. He turned back toward Curtis but he was no longer there, instead Jack was standing there. Santa grimaced sourly, "Jack, do me a favor and..." He swallowed the bile that rose in his throat, "go along with Belle." He choked out.

Jack smiled maliciously, "My pleasure." He purred as he walked off to where Bernard and Judy had came from. It didn't take long to spot her sitting on a bench with her head in her hands all alone. He straightened his coat and walked over to her coolly, "Well hello there, Miss Claus."

Belle flinched at the sound of his voice and looked up in surprise, "Oh, Jack! You scared me." She said as he giggled awkwardly.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Miss-"

"Call me Belle." She corrected.

"Belle. Such a pretty name for a pretty girl." He said sweetly. He liked the way her cheeks turned red.

"Y-You really think I'm pretty?" She asked, pushing some hair behind her ear to avoid eye contact with him.

"Well, of course I do. Who wouldn't?" He asked innocently.

She scoffed, "Pretty much anyone that isn't from the North Pole. It's probably because it's dark out. I'm really not that pretty." She rolled her eyes. "Thank you." She said, referring to the compliment.

"It isn't a problem to speak the truth." He said simply, sitting down next to her. He glanced at her, "And I bet you can sing too." He said, chuckling.

Her cheeks flushed again, "Oh, no, I'm a terrible singer and I'm not being modest, I truly can't sing to save my own life." She said, laughing at herself.

Jack gave her a nod, "Then you must be able to dance." He said as he hopped up from the bench. He grabbed her hands and stood her up, pulling her to him for a slow dance. She giggled a bubbly kind of giggle that sent chills down Jack's spine. He shook it off, he wasn't going to get attached to Santa's daughter, it would ruin everything he stood for.

He swayed them side to side slowly, pulling her closer with the hand he had low on her waist. She gasped in surprise and then giggled so he chuckled along with her. He was actually enjoying this very much. Dancing under a simple streetlight with this beautiful girl to no music in particular. It was rather peaceful around the area as well.

"You are a wonderful dancer." He complimented honestly.

"No, you are, Jack." She said, giggling.

"Oh, why don't you let me compliment you?" He asked, pretending to be annoyed by this although he was smiling.

She laughed. It was like jingle bells sounding off. "I'm sorry, Jack." She managed to say between laughs.

He released her waist but kept a hold of her hand, "Would you like a cocoaccino? It's my own special recipe."

"I would love that." She said with a radiant smile. Jack smiled back and gently pulled her along, hoping she wouldn't notice the hold he still had on her hand. Luckily, she never noticed or at least she didn't do anything about it neither was there anyone in the kitchen when they arrived.

When they entered the kitchen, Jack swiftly let her hand go and went to the cabinets as if he hadn't been holding her hand at all. Belle wouldn't mention it, she liked holding his hand. It felt nice although the coldness of it left her hand feeling a little numb. She thought he was awfully nice and a complete gentleman. He was funny too, she liked that. She also loved his hair, it was amazing.

"Have I mentioned that I love your hair?" She asked randomly as she watched him prepare their drinks.

"No." He said simply.

"Oh... Well then I love your hair. It looks amazing." She said, stifling a laugh.

"Thank you. I freeze-dry." He said as he poured the hot drinks into festive mugs. "I love your hair. The color in it really brings out your eyes which are beautiful by the way." He said as he handed her the mug. "Careful it's hot." He warned as she took it carefully into her hands.

"Thank you." She mumbled before taking a sip. She loved the sudden flavor she got, "Mmm, minty." She said before taking another sip, "Very ...hm- Refreshing."

"You like it?" He asked hopefully.

"Yes I do, it's delicious." She said with a smile. He smiled back at her, putting his mug down and crossing his arms, resting them on the counter.

"So, you like coming to the North Pole to visit your parents?" He asked, starting on his mission to get information out of her.

"Of course I do. I just love it here." She said.

"You don't mind the cold?" He asked curiously.

"No, I actually love it. Dad says I've always had a high tolerance for the cold." She said with a giggle.

"Oh, how wonderful." Jack stated randomly. He had no idea why he had said it but she nodded so no harm done. "And do you like it that your father is _the_ Santa Claus?" He asked, back to business.

"Well, at first it had been a bit hard to handle. I didn't have him around very much before he was Santa Claus and when he assumed that position, he was completely lost. I didn't particularly enjoy coming to the North Pole at first but I started to get used to it and then I met Bernard. When I met him and we became best friends, my outlook on things changed and I loved it more than ever." She explained.

"You and Bernard are best friends, you say?" He asked, pretending to be interested. He needed to know so he could find a way to lace Bernard, Santa's head elf into his plans to take over the Christmas holiday.

"Inseparable." She said simply as she drank more of her drink.

"You can tell. There's a nice connection between you two. It warms my heart, really." He said that last part sarcastically. Belle giggled.

"But enough about me, tell me more about yourself, Mr. Frost." She smiled.

"What would you like to know?" He asked.

"Well, for starters, what are you doing in Christmastown?" She asked curiously.

"Oh, just making up for a few naughty things I did, nothing too bad." He shrugged, "It's sort of like community service." He explained.

"Do you hate it? Doing the community service, I mean."

"Well, community service is community service but I don't hate it. I love it here at the North Pole... so much." He said that last part toward himself.

"So can you actually do all that stuff that stories tell?" She asked.

"Well, that depends what the stories tell about me." He said with a smile.

She laughed slightly nervously, "The stories always make you seem like a bad guy..." She smiled at him when he frowned, "I've always said you were just misunderstood is all. Everyone always looked at me funny but that's what I thought." She shrugged.

Jack honestly smiled at her, "Really?" She nodded. "Well, thanks. It makes me happy to hear that for a change."

"It isn't a problem to speak the truth." She said, quoting him from earlier. They both laughed at that for a while. Jack reached over and grabbed her hand, giving it a light squeeze.

"You are a delight, Belle." He said, catching his breath from laughing.

"As are you, Jack." She smiled, putting her hand over the hand he had wrapped over hers. They shared a smile before they finished off their warm drinks. Belle was first to put her mug down, "I wonder how things are doing at the factory..."

"Oh, I'm sure Santa has everything under control. He has an amazing ability to keep things on track, it's amazing how he does it." Jack said to her, trying to keep her there.

"Yeah, mom says I inherited that from him," She laughed, "I don't think that's true, I can't even keep my room in order."

"Well, nobody is perfect, believe me you." He said as he finished his drink. He took the mugs and put them in the sink. Belle yawned. She tried to muffle it but Jack still heard it, "You must be exhausted." She nodded and suddenly felt her eyelids very heavy, "Come on, I'll walk you to your room." He said, hooking his arm with hers.

They walked in silence all the way to her room. When she opened the door, she turned back to him, "Thank you for everything, Jack. Good night." She said. She seemed to hesitate but then she quickly pecked his cheek.

"Good night." He said in shock. She smiled and closed the door. Jack touched his cheek, feeling a strong burning sensation there. He furrowed his eyebrows as he headed to his humble abode, elf sized no less. He mentally argued with himself, reminding himself that he could _not _get attached to the girl. He didn't want to admit it but he was already waiting for tomorrow so he could see her again... to put his plan in motion that is.

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><p><em><strong>Whoa, what is going to happen from here on out? Is Jack going to use her for his evil plans or is she going to warm his heart and make him stop his evil ways? Will she find out what Jack is up to and where does Bernard come in to all of this? Where is Mrs. Claus and why am I asking you so many questions when I'm the one who's supposed to know? Well, find out in the next chapter to come! Please, leave reviews, no one seems to do that anymore! I enjoy reading the compliments very much... think of it as an early Christmas present to me :)<strong>_


	2. Ice Skating

_**Disclaimer: If you read the disclaimer from the first chapter, you won't need to keep reading it because we all know that I don't own anything.**_

_**A/N: I'm sorry if I'm taking things too fast. I'm trying to keep a balance cause usually I tend to drag these kinds of things ooooooon so I'm trying to speed things up a little but not too much.**_

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><p>Jack Frost, already out of bed and ready to go, tucked his secret weapon under his arm securely before walking out of his room. He walked through the dimly lit town square all the way into the closed kitchen. He pulled out the keys he had snatched from Betty, one of the elves that made the gingerbread houses, and opened the doors. He breathed in that wonderful remaining smell of gingerbread and cocoa before getting straight to work. He searched around, hoping to find the perfect area to hide his evil weapon. He decided it was good enough to leave it anywhere. So, he opened the cage and let the five rats, yes, rats not mice, scurry out and about in the kitchen. He smiled at them gleefully, "That's right, little ones, chew anything and everything you can!" He whispered to them.<p>

He turned on his heel and exited the kitchen. He closed the doors quietly and locked them before turning around to leave. He was stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Bernard standing _right there_. The head elf stared at him with cold eyes and Jack became very nervous.

"What were you doing in the kitchen, Frost?" He asked sternly.

"Nothing, I just got a little hungry is all." He said as casually as he could, "What are you doing here?" He countered.

Bernard crossed his arms over his chest, "I smelled a rat passing by." He snapped at Jack who flinched at the insult, also thinking that Bernard knew about the literal rats, "Why didn't you just search in your fridge?" He asked skeptically.

Jack's eyes widened for a split second as he tried to make something up quickly, "Because..." He dragged the word off a little to try and buy time, "I wanted to take a walk too. I love watching the sun rise." He said with a smile as he searched for the sun. He mentally slapped himself, _the sun doesn't rise at four thirty in the morning you idiot!_ Bernard gave him a look and Jack knew he wasn't buying any of it.

"Why do you have the keys to the kitchen? Only Betty has that authority." He questioned again.

"She gave them to me because Santa wanted me to clean the kitchen last night. After I took Belle to her room, I came here to clean. You can check for yourself, clean." Jack said as he went to open the doors again.

"No, wait." Bernard said. Jack smiled maliciously. He knew Bernard would stop him... otherwise he'd be stuck in some deep tinsel right now. "I'll ask Santa myself and if he says otherwise, you're toast."

Jack's eyes widened as he spun around to face Bernard, "Uh, I don't really like toast-" He blurted out to distract Bernard's brain for a second, "Curtis was the one who sent me the message, you should ask him! Although, I don't think he'll remember, he was piled with a lot of work like, he had to tell Brendon to fix a table, tell Jingle to paint the stalls, tell Choco to rearrange the tables and chairs at his shop-"

"Alright, I get it!" Bernard snapped, "If I see at least one thing out of place tomorrow, I'm coming straight for you, arranging a meeting with the Legendaries and getting you expelled from the Council!" He warned seriously. Jack felt the color drain from his face.

"No problem!" He said, laughing nervously. Bernard is one tough elf. "Um, before you go, I want to let you know that when I opened the cabinet doors, a rat scurried out. I think you guys might have a rat problem in there and I don't think Santa is going to be very happy about that. Not happy at all." Jack said.

"Rats? We have never had rats before!" Bernard said in disbelief.

"Well, there's a first time for everything! Man, am I tired, I'll see you later, Bernard." Jack said in a rush before walking off quickly to his room.

Bernard stood there dumbfounded. He shook it off and went to open the doors. When they didn't open, he remembered that Jack had the keys. He turned around to try and catch him but he was no where to be seen. Bernard groaned loudly before trudging off back to his room. He really disliked that man.

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><p>"Belle. Hey, Belle, wake up, honey." Santa called as he gently shook his daughter who was still sleeping. She groaned a little and swatted his hand away before turning her back to him. Santa scowled and moved her around again, "Belle, get up!" He called a little louder, just on the verge of losing the whisper. Belle's eyes shot open and she flinched away, gasping loudly. "Hey, it's just me. It's dad." Santa said as he smiled at her.<p>

Belle rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up in her bed, "Hey, dad, what are you doing here so early?" She asked, her voice still heavy with sleep.

Santa sat on the edge of the bed, "I just wanted the chance to talk since we couldn't yesterday. If I waited 'til later, I'd be too busy to sit and talk and I don't want you thinking that I'm more worried about work than my own daughter, my heart and soul, my sunshine, the tree-topper to my Christmas tree, the ginger to my bread, the candy to my cane-"

Belle hugged her dad tightly, cutting him off in the process, "Dad, I know being Santa is a lot of work. I won't get mad if you don't have enough time for me and you coming to see me now means a lot to me. I love you." She said sweetly.

"Aw, I love you too, sugarplum."

Belle climbed out of bed and walked into her bathroom to brush her teeth, "What did you want to talk about?" She asked as she put tooth paste on the brush.

"Well... everything I missed out on for the past year would be nice." He said as if it were obvious.

"Not much actually. Everything cool happens up here." She said. Although it could barely be understood since she was brushing her teeth.

"There has to be something. How were your grades?" He asked.

"All A's, dad." She answered.

"Good, good." He said, already had been expecting that answer. "Well, what about Johnny? What's the deal with him?" He asked. He didn't really want to know but it was something.

"Johnny? We broke up." She said as she rinsed her mouth out.

"Really? Why?" He asked more interested.

She shrugged, "Too much of a goodie-two-shoes." She said.

"Well what's wrong with that?" He asked incredulously.

She gave him a look, "Dad." She said in annoyance, "The man broke his arm trying to save a stray cat from eating out of the dumpster."

Santa grimaced, "Really? Wow... what a sucker. Maybe if it were a dog but a cat? Wow."

Belle burst out in laughter, "Exactly!" She finally calmed down from laughing, "And he cheated." She finally said.

"What?" Santa shouted, "Why would he do such a thing? I thought you said he was a goodie-two-shoes!"

"Yeah but to every angel comes their day." She said with a sigh. "But I didn't like him that much... we had only been together for 12 weeks." She said as if it were nothing.

"That's almost 3 months." Santa pointed out.

"Oh, we had a break time too... for about 3 weeks." She said. She came up to him and sat on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck, "How's mom?" She asked.

"She's fine. She told me to tell you that she's really sorry for not seeing you yesterday. She was in house arrest with some of the girly elves knitting socks and clothes for the bears." He said, rolling his eyes at the end.

Belle giggled, "That's okay, I understand. Will I see her today?" She asked hopefully.

"I dunno, honey. She's just as busy as me, being Mrs. Claus and everything." He said.

Belle nodded, "Hey, how are things at the factory?" She asked curiously.

"Oh, just fine. A few elves are under a lot of pressure since they're doing things other elves are supposed to be doing but other than that everything is fine. I still can't place a finger on what could have caused that fire though."

"Maybe the machine was just too overheated or something." Belle said.

Santa laughed hard, "Honey, those machines are on nonstop all year long and it's been more than a couple of decades, there's no way it could have gotten overheated now." He said, still chuckling.

Belle shoved his shoulder playfully, "Oh, shut up! I'm still sleepy here!" She said as she giggled.

"Alright, I'm sorry. Hey, tell you what! How about I give Bernard the day off so you two can catch up and have some fun. Don't worry about him not wanting to take the day off, I'll make him and besides, he wouldn't give up a day he could spend with you." He said, giving her a knowing wink.

Belle scoffed and pushed him playfully, "Dad, don't do that! We're just friends!" She laughed.

"I know, I know." He said sheepishly.

"Dad, don't you need a head elf to be following you around, telling you bad news?" She said, mocking Bernard.

"Don't worry, Curtis' got it covered. We have nothing to worry about." He said with a reassuring smile. He pushed her off of him, "Now, get dressed, Bernard should be up in a few." He said, giving her another wink.

Belle laughed, "Alright, dad." She said before he left, closing the door behind him. She hopped out of bed and went back into the bathroom to take a shower. When she came back out, that little diva in the back of her head took over and she started to worry about what to wear as she always did.

She scanned her closet until her eyes landed on the perfect outfit. She pulled on a gray formfitting sweater, some faded blue skinny jeans, black boots that reached half way up her calf and a black scarf. She let her hair loose and her bangs swept to the side, she didn't want to fight with it today. She applied her usual makeup only instead of white and blue eyeshadow it was gray and blue today. She sighed and left her room to embrace the rising sun's rays.

She smiled at all the elves that waved hello to her on her way to the kitchen. She gasped when she opened the doors. There was food scattered all over the floor, boxes and plastic bowls where laying around as well and the elves looked frustrated behind their jolly expressions.

"What happened here?" She asked worriedly.

"Rats." Came a voice from behind her.

She turned and saw Bernard there, scowling at the mess before him, "Rats? We get rats here?" She asked.

"No. That's what makes me think Jack is behind all this. I found him leaving the kitchen early this morning and he looked more ominous than usual." He explained.

She grimaced, "Jack? But why would he do such a thing?" She asked, feeling a little hurt.

"I'm not entirely sure it was him though. He had warned me about the rats earlier." He admitted.

"Well, it couldn't have been him, Bernard." She said as she began to help the elves clean the mess up. "Have you talked to Santa yet?" She asked casually.

"Yes..." He said, sounding aggravated. "He gave me the day off. Two weeks before Christmas, a day off!" He said in disbelief, "I don't know if he has gone mad or something. I mean, things seem to be going terribly wrong lately and he wants to give me the day off now?" He complained.

"Well, since you have the day off, would you like to spend it with me?" She asked casually. She didn't have to sound sweet or shy, they have been best friends for ever.

"Sure, I have to do something to keep me distracted from the factory and I might as well spend it with you." He said with a slight smile. She smiled back, happy he was relieved a little.

"Great, let me just- Whoa!" She said as Bernard started to drag her out of the kitchen. Once they were outside, he let her go.

"I can't see you cleaning, it stresses me out." He admitted.

Belle smiled and wrapped her arm around his waist, "What do you wanna do today?"

He threw his arm over her shoulders, "Work." He stated flatly.

Belle shook him, "Bernard! You are not going to work today so just relax."

"I can't! Not with all these crazy things going on!" He groaned.

"Just forget it! Come on, we're going ice skating." She said as she pulled him in another direction.

"I don't think Santa will want you that far out of town, Belle." He warned protectively. The frozen lake was still in town but it was near the outskirts. He rarely ever went there.

"Bernard, how old am I?" She asked skeptically.

"Thirteen." He stated seriously although they both knew that wasn't true.

"Bernard." She hissed.

"I don't know, I lost track after sixty." He mocked.

Belle couldn't help but giggle. She loved it when Bernard didn't have a candy cane up his behind. "I'm serious!" She laughed. He shrugged. "I'm nineteen now, Bernard. I'm not a baby anymore." She said proudly.

"And I'm well over two-hundred years old, what's your point?"

"I'm not an elf like you, Bernard." She snapped at him, "Besides, your stuck in a sixteen year old body." She mocked.

"You won't find that funny when you're sixty and have a lot of wrinkles." He countered. Belle fell silent and looked away. He felt terrible for having said that, he knew it hurt her. He pulled her into a hug, resting his chin on her head, "I'll still love you then." He whispered.

She hugged him back without saying a word and they remained like that for a while. Then he heard her sniffle. Had he made her cry? His heart plummeted to his feet. He leaned back to look into her face but she buried it farther into his chest.

"Belle? Why are you crying?" He asked worriedly. She wouldn't answer. He lifted her head by her chin with his finger, "Hey, look at me. What's wrong?" He whispered to her.

She gave him a half-smile and shook her head, "I'm afraid of getting old." She choked out.

"Why? It's a natural thing. It's nothing bad." He tried to cheer her up.

"Yeah but I'll change. I'll look older and no one will love me then. No one wants to look at an old woman like that." She sobbed.

Bernard scoffed in disbelief, "Belle, there will always be someone there for you. No matter what." He said with a smile.

"When I get old enough..." She sobbed loudly, "I'll die." She choked out. "I'll die and leave all of you behind and I don't want that to happen. I'll miss you guys so much and-"

"Belle, you just turned nineteen! You're too young to be thinking these things! You're young, beautiful and have a lot to give in life, don't worry about getting old and dying yet, it'll make you older." He said to her, pulling her in for another hug. He wiped her tears away and smiled at her, hoping she'd smile back. Belle couldn't help but smile. "Now come on, there's a frozen lake waiting for us." He said as he started to walk again.

There was a long silence on the long walk there. They each grabbed a pair of ice skates that hung from the tree branches. They pulled them on and waddled onto the ice. Belle skated around, turning and dancing around until she noticed Bernard was still on the snow. She skated back to him, "What's wrong? Why aren't you skating?" She asked.

"Do you honestly think I can skate?" He asked skeptically.

Belle laughed, "Here, I'll teach you. Take my hands." She said as she reached out for him. He took her hands obediently and let her pull him onto the ice. Once he slipped forward an inch, he panicked and tried to skate back. If he had been trying to run in place it would have been successful. As it were, he lost his grip on Belle and fell flat on his stomach. He groaned in pain as he sat up and glared at Belle for laughing at him. She tried to apologize for laughing but she only laughed more. Once she recomposed herself, she helped him up and steadied him into a standing position.

"Just relax. You're going to feel as if you're going to fall but you're not... unless you do that again." She mocked. He growled at her in annoyance. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll be serious." She said. She grabbed his hand, "Now, push off with your right then left, right, left, right, left," She instructed as she performed the actions along with Bernard. They kept doing this until they were at a standard pace. "Now, turning should come naturally," She said encouragingly.

Bernard's eyes widened as he watched the edge of the lake come closer. He looked down at the skates and wondered what it was he needed to do. He panicked and just pushed off with his left foot, letting his body lean to the right. He made the turn. He smiled triumphantly.

"Wow, Bernard! You did great! The first time I tried to turn, I fell face first into the snow." She said laughing.

After he got the hang of it, they skated hand in hand in a friendly way, just chatting about the little things in life until Belle touched a sensitive topic, "Bernard, you're well over two-hundred years old. How come you haven't found an elfette and settled down?" She asked.

Bernard felt uncomfortable and Belle could sense this, "Um, I'm still waiting for the right elf." He said simply. Belle nodded and dropped the subject as it was. She giggled as she cut in front of him and grabbed his other hand. "What are you doing?" He asked, chuckling at the expression of excitement on her face. She started to move around with him and then she held his hand up, twirling underneath it. He caught on and danced along with her. They danced around the ice gracefully... or at least as gracefully as Bernard's recently acquired skills would allow.

"Hey, it's getting dark out, maybe we should head out now." Bernard said, heading for the snow.

Belle rushed over and grabbed his arm, pulling him back further into the lake, "It's not getting dark yet!" She laughed, "You're not going to go back to work, Bernard, it's your day of for the love of Christmas!" She said playfully before skating around him.

Bernard sighed, "Belle, you have to understand. I need to go back to work. Curtis is a walking disaster! He can't keep up with all of the work let alone do it on his own!" Bernard said as he skated back onto the snow. Belle frowned sadly as she skated over to where Bernard was removing his skates. She didn't want him to leave, she was having so much fun. Bernard turned to face her once he got his shoes back on. He stopped and smiled sadly at her when he noticed her pout. He opened his arms out for her, "Come here," He said softly. Belle gave him a questioning look and he gestured her forward with an arm, "Come here," He pressed on. Belle slowly skated over to him and he pulled her in for a hug, "Thanks for today, it was nice." He whispered into her ear.

Belle hugged him back tightly, "Yeah." She said simply. She forced herself to let him go and walked over to get her shoes back on after she had taken the skates off. She then walked over to Bernard who was waiting for her so they could leave.

She gave him a small smile before they started walking back toward Christmastown. The walk was silent, both opting to enjoy each others company. Once they entered the town Belle couldn't help but smile. Colorful Christmas lights were lit all over the buildings and light posts, merry songs drifted around in the air, the smell of hot cocoa and cookies floated around their heads, elves walked around from here and there with great big smiles on their faces, bubbly laughs and voices could be heard everywhere.

Belle looked over at Bernard and noticed something was different.

Bernard wasn't there. She looked around for him and spotted his head of curly hair walking toward the factory with a hop in his step. Belle sighed and walked over to her left, toward the small outdoor restaurant. She pulled on the ends of her sleeves nervously. She didn't know why, but there was a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach and it really annoyed her.

"Good afternoon, how may I help y-" Came a small voice from behind her but it was cut off when Belle jumped out of her seat, yelping in surprise. She turned back to look at who it was but she didn't particularly know this elf.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you coming," Belle apologized sheepishly, trying to slow her heart rate down.

The elf with chestnut brown hair smiled nervously, having been scared as well and straightened her apron out, "That's alright, Belle." She stated sweetly. Belle wasn't surprised that she knew her name. Bernard told her that Santa hadn't shut up about her since two weeks ago. "What would you like?" She asked.

"Oh, I didn't come to drink anything, I just wanted to sit down is all-" She said. The elf could sense Belle was still a little tense.

"How about I bring you some tea to calm the nerves? Do you want sugar or honey in it?" She asked with a little smile on her porcelain face.

"Sugar, please." Belle stated simply. Once the elf left, she buried her face into her hands and let out a heavy sigh. What was wrong with her? She was so out of it that she didn't hear someone pull up a chair and sit across from her until the person reached out and grabbed her hand gently. Belle gasped and her eyes flew open in surprise.

"Honey, what's wrong? You look exhausted."

"Oh! Nothing... I just..." Belle sighed and looked into her mothers eyes, searching for the answer, "I don't know, mom." She stated in a whisper.

Carol gave her daughter's hand a squeeze and smiled, "Well, whatever it is, I'm sure it'll get better. You always pull through anything." She said with a soft motherly tone.

Belle smiled and leaned in so Carol could kiss her forehead, "Thanks, mom." She said with a smile. "How have you been?" She asked.

Carol sighed, "Busy." She stated. They both started to laugh softly at that. "I have been wonderful. Everything has been wonderful." She said with another sigh, only happy this time.

Belle cocked her head slightly as she spotted a sparkle in her mothers eyes, "Mom?" She asked expectantly.

Carol laughed, "What?" She hadn't intended to be so obvious and she hadn't expected for her daughter to read her so quickly. She giggled again.

"Mother!" Belle scolded, getting anxious to know why Carol was being so... jolly. More jolly than usual that is.

Just then the elf that took Belle's order came back with two cups. Belle assumed that she had seen Carol arrive and prepared the second cup. She placed it in front of the two women and smiled, "Enjoy." She said with a small bow of her head.

"Thank you very much, Misty." Carol said with a tender smile. Belle was on edge now.

"Carol Claus, tell me what you are so happy about right this instant!" She shouted playfully.

"Forget about that, tell me what is going on between you and Bernard." Carol said as she went to take a sip from her tea.

Belle fell back into her seat, "Nothing! We're just friends, mom." She said, slightly shocked that her mother would think otherwise.

Carol raised an eyebrow at her, "Mhm- and where exactly was it that you were?" She asked skeptically.

"We were at the frozen lake." She said simply before taking her cup into her freezing hands. She sighed at the warmth of the cup.

"Oh, I remember the first time your father took me there. It was the most romantic evening we had ever spent together." Carol said, gushing with emotion. Belle raised an eyebrow at her this time. Carol giggled, "Alright, _one_ of the most romantic times we had spent together."

There was a nice silence between them until Carol decided to give her daughter something to do since she had to go puncture holes into the boxes that would contain puppies. She didn't mind that job, she loved the adorable scamps.

"Well, I have some more work to do so I have to be on my way. Why don't you take a walk, clear your mind?" She suggested as she got up to leave.

"Actually, I'm pretty tired, I might head off the sleep. I'll just go find dad and wish him a good night then I'm off." She said with a fake yawn.

"Alright, honey, I'll see you tomorrow." She said before kissing her daughter's forehead and then walking off.

Belle sighed and started her way to the factory where she assumed her father would be. She went through the doors and saw him first thing at the top floor with Bernard talking his ear off. In turn, he spotted her and smiled brightly.

"Belle!" He called out. She closed her eyes and winced to herself. Every elf in the place turned their heads and called out "Good evening, Belle!" in perfect sync like always. She opened her eyes and smiled at them as best she could. She walked past them all while waving down at them occasionally. She went up the stairs and stopped before her father.

He smiled and looked relieved to see her. She smiled back and since he seemed to want to say something, she waited. He put a hand on her shoulder and moved her in front of Bernard, "I'm glad you're here. Bernard made his way back to the factory somehow and I told him he had the day off. Can you please get him out of my hair?" He said, pushing them both toward the stairs.

"But Santa, I took the day off and-" Bernard tried to argue.

"The day isn't over yet!" He said in a rush and then gave them a small push so they'd take the stairs. Belle rolled her eyes and dragged Bernard out of the factory.

Bernard frowned and jerked his arm away from Belle. She stopped walking and turned to frown at him. "Bernard, you have the day off. Santa isn't going to let you work so just relax! Go home and watch TV, take a bath, clean your room if it'll keep your mind off working with Santa." She said in annoyance.

"Belle, I just can't! I have to go back-"

"No! Go. Home. Bernard, go." She said, pushing him away from the factory doors.

"You don't understand!" He spun around and walked past her, heading for the doors.

"No. _You_ don't understand. You have the day off! Enjoy it!" She said with a groan.

"I just can't." He sighed.

Belle groaned loudly and grabbed her head. Bernard watched her curiously, never seeing her act this way. He worried about her for a moment. She took a deep breath and forced a smile at him though she never opened her eyes. "Fine. Fine, Bernard, fine. Go and work your elf butt off, I won't stop you. I know it's what makes you happy. Good night." She said before turning and walking off.

Bernard stood there slightly confused. What of this upset her so much? Why did she want him to not work so much? He stood there wondering for a moment but then turned and walked into the factory, taking in that scent of worked sweat and smoke from the machines powered up by fire. "It's good to be back." He said with a grin before jumping in to tell elves what to do.

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><p><em><strong>Took me a while to update since I hadn't been receiving any reviews and still, I haven't received any new reviews but I re-read the other ones and they motivated me to keep moving. I hope you all like this chapter, it was very romantic? Or dramatic? What ever you like :)<strong>_

_**Like always, I ask you to leave me reviews, they keep me going.**_

_**Stay tuned to know what happens next. Where had Frost been all day? What's going through Belle's head? What's going on with Mrs. Claus that's oh-so mysterious? Oh me, oh my, even I'm excited to know!**_

_**With Love, Mutinous Pirate :)**_


	3. Not 'til noon

_**A/N: Hope you're all enjoying this story as much as I enjoy writing it :) Leave reviews please!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Belle and well, most of the elves except Bernard and Curtis. The reindeer aren't mine, Christmastown isn't mine, just some buildings I added and blah, blah, blah- Gosh, I'm sounding like Bernard! Haha, on with the story! :)**_

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><p>Belle woke up to the beautiful sounds of... knocking on her door? Not the usual chirping of the birds on her window sill. She got out of bed quickly though her body didn't want to and opened the door widely. Her eyes were blinded by the sun but she recognized the voice, "Good morning, Belle."<p>

She yawned, "Hey, Benny." She said with a lazy smile. "What brings you here?" She asked curiously, mostly because she was too sleepy to think. She hadn't even opened her eyes to the sun yet.

"My legs." He said, walking past her and into the cozy room.

Belle closed the door, ", Bernard. That's good. Seriously, why are you here?" She asked, walking into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face.

"Can't a guy come see his best friend?" He asked as he followed her into her bedroom and then sat on the edge of her messy bed.

"Not a guy like you. Aren't you supposed to be at work?" She asked with the toothbrush hanging in the corner of her mouth.

"Yes. But..." He trailed off as he looked at a few pictures on her nightstand. They were mostly of her or her and her grandparents. He smiled at the picture of her with a puppy in her arms. She looked overjoyed and simply beautiful.

"But?" Belle pressed on when she came out of the bathroom.

Bernard snapped out of it and shook his head. He cleared his throat, "Santa said not to come in until noon." He said, raising both his eyebrows and nodding with his lips pressed into a tight line.

Belle cocked her head curiously, "Why?" She asked, not believing he was taking it so lightly. He was probably going insane inside.

He shrugged, "I don't know. It's seems like suddenly he has a passion for making my life he- Ugh!" He groaned before he could even utter the word. He threw himself back into the bed and covered his face with his hands.

"Come on, Benny, there has to be a good reason Santa told you to do that." She said, sitting next to him.

He uncovered his face and huffed, "Not really. All I did was stay in the factory 'til three in the morning, trying to put the bears in order. What did I do to deserve this?" He groaned and sat up, resting his elbows on his knees and letting his head hang miserably.

"Three in the morning, Bernard?" Belle scolded. "No wonder Santa said what he did. He wants you to get some sleep! You should be exhausted!" She said, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm exhausted of taking breaks..." He mumbled.

"Bernard, you need sleep." She said sternly.

"I had sleep! I tried sleeping when he sent me home but I couldn't even blink!" He said, turning his head to look at her.

"Try drinking-"

"I already did. I tried cocoa, tea, nothing would work. I even tried that water that's supposed to get you to relax which tastes horrible by the way, but it didn't work." He sighed. "It's only six in the morning." He whispered sadly.

"You are such a workaholic. You worry me, Bernard." She said, truly sounding worried.

"I know... I'm sorry, I just can't help it. I'm head elf, it's all I know. It's what I do." He said.

"Even head elves take breaks. You deserve a vacation. I'm sure the only reason Santa hasn't given you one is that he knows very well that you'd probably die." She said jokingly but he sighed. "Benny..." She said sadly as she rubbed her distressed friend's back.

"I don't know what to do..." He admitted quietly.

"How about you accompany me to have some breakfast? I'm starving." She said, noticing that yesterday she had nothing to eat but the tea she had with her mother.

He sighed and nodded, "Sure."

"Give me a second to change and we'll be out." She said as she walked to her closet and looked for what to wear. She saw Bernard's arms reach out from behind her and grab some clothes. He pulled them out and gave it to her. She looked at his choice of clothing. In her hands were a pair of red skinny jeans and a white sweater. He put his hands back in the clothes and pulled out a black leather vest. He leaned down and picked out black boots that laced all the way up.

"Thanks, Bernard, it's cute." She said happily before skipping into the bathroom and putting it on quickly. She untangled her hair and made it into a french braid going to the side and over her left shoulder. She left a few strands out to frame the sides of her face along with her bangs swept to the side like usual. She put on white and light red eyeshadow and decided to wear mascara along with the liner, something she rarely did. She applied clear strawberry lip gloss and found a pair of earrings that were perfect. Red tree ornaments. She smiled and walked out to see Bernard waiting for her on the bed.

"Here." He said, throwing something at her like a rubber band. She managed to catch it and it was a puffy red beanie. The kind that puffed up at the back. She giggled and pulled it on careful not to mess her hair up. He smirked at her, "You look nice."

She smiled, "Thanks." She took the time to look him up and down as he got up. He looked different today. Less elf like. He didn't wear the stockings or bright green suit or the vest or the puffy shirt she normally wore. And she almost gasped that he wasn't wearing pointy shoes or his green hat. Same hat just more casual. "You look..." She paused. "Different."

He shrugged, "I figured that since I didn't have to work, I didn't have to wear a uniform. I feel weird." He admitted.

She nodded, "You look weird." She smiled, "But in a good way." She said. He still managed to look like an elf though with the dark green button-up shirt and black pants. She would have thought a guy like Bernard would tuck his shirt in but she was wrong. Where did he even get converse? Green of course.

"Thanks." He said sheepishly. "Shall we?" He asked, stuffing his hands into his pants and heading toward the door.

She followed him, "We shall." She opened the door and now greeted the sun eagerly. She walked out into the snow and inhaled the sweet smells that Christmastown brought. She smiled and walked out, heading toward the kitchen.

She was surprised when she came through the doors. What yesterday was a total mess, was perfection now. The kitchen was spotless, everything in it's rightful place, everything working properly and it smelled great. Any signs that rats had wrecked the place were gone. Maybe a scratch on the wood here and there but that could have been anything.

"Wow, they work so fast. This place was a disaster yesterday." Belle whispered toward Bernard.

He nodded, "That's because they have someone like me as head elf to guide them and help them through these kinds of situations." He said almost angrily.

Belle rolled her eyes, "Don't start, Bernard." She teased before sitting down at one of the metal tables.

He walked to the tabled and leaned on it, crossing his arms over his chest, "What do you want?" He asked eagerly. Belle opened her mouth to protest but he held his hands out in front of her, sputtering out incomprehensible nothings to stop her from talking. "Let me do this, please." He said with his eyes closed, his head facing the table.

Belle sighed and he faced her, smiling. She couldn't help but smile back at him. "Do you know how to make french toast?" She asked.

He took a breath and held his arms up, his hands pointing fingers. He looked up and paused and then let out the breath in a huff, "No." He said. "But I'll figure it out!" He said before rushing toward the cabinets.

"I can help you, if you want." She said, getting up from her chair.

"No, no, no. I got this." He said, holding up a finger to her. Belle raised her eyebrows and sat back down reluctantly.

"If you burn this place down, I'm not responsible." She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I won't burn the kitchen down. It's a simple task, I can do this." He said determinedly.

She raised an eyebrow, "Really? What do you need to make french toast?" She asked quizzically.

"Bread?" He said, unsure of his answer. She nodded and waited for him to continue. "Butter?" She nodded again. "A toaster?" He asked, very unsure now.

Belle laughed and shook her head. He frowned and his ears went back slightly. She got up and started to get the ingredients. He became confused when she grabbed an egg carton and a pan. She cracked the eggs into a bowl and batted them quickly and then she dipped the bread into the mix, covering it up completely. She put the bread in the hot pan that was already buttered up and then added cinnamon to the bread. They waited and she flipped the bread various times until they became brownish gold. It smelled great. She served the french toast for the both of them and set it on the table. She walked to the refrigerator and grabbed the maple syrup, orange juice and apple juice and managed to grab the powdered sugar. She nearly dumped the things onto the table and then sat across from Bernard. She smiled at him as he poked at his food.

"You've never had french toast before?" She asked curiously with a giggle.

"I've never been to France before." He said absentmindedly.

Belle laughed at his remark and he frowned at her. She shook her head and then settled to pour the syrup and sugar on her toast. Bernard watched her and then did the same, using a smaller portion or syrup. He served himself orange juice and then served her apple juice, knowing it was her favorite.

Bernard knew it smelled good so he assumed it tasted good. He cut a piece and put it into his mouth. It was fluffy and sweet and very warm. He liked it very much and he let her know by letting a small moan escape. Belle giggled and watched him eat as she continued to eat her own toast absentmindedly.

They were done in a few minutes and Bernard washed the dishes, he didn't allow her to and she found it best not to argue. By now it was only nine in the morning Bernard noticed. He sighed and sat back down across from Belle.

Belle fiddled around with the tip of her braid awkwardly as the silence grew thicker with each passing second. She cleared her throat and Bernard brought his attention to her. "Why is it so empty here?" She asked, noticing there were no elves nearby.

Bernard acknowledged her realization and nodded. "They are to come in at ten. They have taken shifts at the factory to help in what they can. Betty is supposed to be around here. Must be in the stockroom." He explained. "Betty can handle this place on her own pretty well. She's been working here most her life." He said.

"Most?" Belle asked curiously.

"She used to be nurse elf. She was very good at it too. Then she had to retire to let the grad elves work there and she moved on here. Cooking was her second passion and she's been doing it ever since." He explained.

Belle nodded and then there was more silence. Bernard moved his feet nervously. The air between them was different somehow, he noticed. He wondered if something was wrong with her.

"You okay?" He asked, leaning in to look at her face which she held low. She looked up at him and smiled as she nodded enthusiastically. He shrugged when she asked why he had asked her that and they left it at that for the moment.

They sat there for a few more minutes and then Bernard yawned. This caught Belle's attention and she looked up at him. He looked tired. She smiled and got up from her seat, "Come on, Benny." She said softly, trying not to scare the sleep away from him.

He blinked a few times and got up. She grabbed his wrist and he just let her drag him along. He could barely register where she was taking him as his eyes preferred to stare at his feet. Belle opened the doors quietly and pulled Bernard inside before gently shutting the red doors. She pulled him through the room and then she pushed him into something soft.

Bernard tried to sit up but she gently pushed him back down. He sighed, "I'm not tired, Belle." He said softly.

Belle pulled the sheets over him and he fought back a yawn but he lost and it escaped. His eyes became so unbearably heavy that he couldn't even argue with Belle. He rolled onto his side and sighed, "Wake me before noon, Belle." He said before falling asleep.

Belle smiled sweetly and whispered, "Sure." She walked quietly out of Bernard's room and shut the doors silently. She walked out into the snow with a proud smile on her face that she got Bernard to sleep.

With the walk there and everything, half an hour passed. It was fifteen minutes to ten o'clock. Two hours of sleep? He will hate her for this but she was going to let him sleep the day off. Then like a fist to the face, she got an idea.

She smiled brightly all the way to the factory where surely her father was inspecting the toys the elves made. He was whistling a very merry Christmas tune when she came in. She came up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. Santa knew it wasn't an elf because they usually tapped him on the leg or belly unless it was Bernard. He knew it wasn't Bernard because despite his addiction to work, he followed orders and his orders were to stay away from the factory until noon and he was sure it wasn't noon yet. So that left two people. His wife Carol or his daughter Belle. Either one he didn't mind seeing so he turned with a bright smile and it was his daughter, Belle. She too was smiling brightly at him.

"Hey, sugarplum, what brings you here?" He asked.

"Well, I was with Bernard a minute ago..." She said.

"Oh yeah? How's he holding up?" He asked.

She scowled, "I'm pretty sure he's going to start losing hair soon." She joked. Santa chuckled at her comment. "I actually got him to sleep! But just two hours of sleep doesn't seem fair." She said.

Santa shook his head, "I gave him a day off yesterday. I can't be without a head elf for too long, I can't handle all of this by myself." He said, holding his hands up to the factory that surrounded them.

Out of seemingly nowhere, little Curtis pulls on Santa's pant leg. Santa jumped and looked down at him and then smiled. He looked offended, "What about me? Don't I mean anything?" He asked.

Santa shook his head frantically, "No, no! You mean a lot! I really appreciate your help, Curtis, I really do but I need my official head elf. He can actually reach the high shelves. No offense." He said awkwardly.

Curtis sighed and nodded his head reluctantly and then it hung low. Belle sighed sadly and knelt before the little elf. She push his head up with her finger and smiled at him, "Curtis, you know Santa appreciates your help a lot but he could use a little more help. Bernard covers a few areas you can't and you cover the ones Bernard can't. Santa needs you around to balance him out or else Bernard will drive him off the edge with all the 'problems' he finds. You're very important here. Santa can't work when he's stressed, now can he?" She said, patting his shoulder. He shook his head shyly. "That's right. He can't. So you just have to work hard and keep him relaxed, telling him everything will be okay. It's what you do best, right?" She said. He smiled and nodded. She smiled at him and have him a nod before getting back up to normal height.

Santa sighed in relief when little Curtis wobbled off. "Thank you so much." He said, giving her a half-hug.

"So what I was trying to say was that I could maybe fill in for Bernard today." She said with an enthusiastic smile.

Santa pouted his lips and pulled his head back in surprise. "Well, alright. Just try and keep up." He said before walking off.

Belle stood there looking around. She realized she had no idea what Bernard actually did. She assumed it was pretty much everything at almost the same time. She sighed and started her way down the lines of work desks and convertor belts. She leaned over a few elves that were looking through big magnifying glasses, putting small details onto toys and sowing buttons onto teddy bears and rag dolls.

"That looks legit." She mumbled as she moved on. She trusted the elves to do a good job, they always did.

She moved on to the elves putting together toy cars and planes. They seemed to know what they were doing so she let them be. Then she walked over to the elves responsible of putting voice boxes into bears and dolls. They were looking good too. Then came the elves that put the wheels onto bikes. They had everything under control too. She was sure everyone had everything under perfect control. She didn't know what Bernard worried so much about, they were all professionals at that they did.

Belle scanned the room, checking to see if anything was out of place. Everything seemed fine. "Wait..." She mumbled as her eyes came across a machine. One of the interior mechanisms looked funny. She was sure it was supposed to go all the way around but it moved and inch and then moved back, over and over, like a broken record.

She curiously walked over to it. During closer inspection, she realized it was the control system to Teddy Express. She gasped and went around to the main control panel. It was letting out sparks. She hesitantly reached over to it despite the sparks jumping at her hand and pressed a button. It did nothing but she noticed it was awfully cold. She found it strange but they were in the North Pole... it was possible. She looked over the machine and spotted the big bearded man in the red suit.

"Santa!" She called out calmly. His head perked up and she waved him over. He dismissed the elf he was attending and walked over to her.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Look at this. It's malfunctioning." She said, pointing to the mechanism that could be seen from the outside since it had no panels to cover the interior.

"What? That's impossible!" He said, pressing a few buttons randomly but they did nothing. "That's weird. The buttons are freezing." He said, rubbing his hands together.

"It is weird, isn't it?" Belle said, examining the machine closely. There were no wires cut, nothing out of place so what could it be? She walked to the side and peered in but it was too dark in there to see much. Santa warned her to be careful as she leaned in closer. She squinted her eyes and then gasped. The wheels and belts were frozen solid.

"I have to go." She said suddenly as she practically ran out of the factory.

"Wait! I need a head elf!" He called after her. She didn't stop and was gone in a second. Out of nowhere, Curtis appears in front of him with a grin on his little cheeky face. Santa, despite being spooked again, smiled and sighed, "Guess it's me and you again, buddy." He said, "Get back to work, Curtis." He said before going back to work himself.

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><p><em><strong>Hope you liked it and sorry it was so short but then again, chapter two was pretty long so you should be satisfied :)<strong>_

_**Reviews please!**_


	4. Disasters and Angry Elves

_**A/N: Here's another one for you all :) Hope you like it.**_

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><p>Belle's mind was racing. She didn't want to be thinking it was him but no one else came to mind. She had to find Jack. Come to think of it, she hasn't seen him since she arrived to Christmastown.<p>

"Excuse me." She said to an elf that was passing by. She stopped and looked up at Belle. "Excuse me, do you know where Jack Frost lives?" She asked a bit frantically. The elf nodded and generally explained where he lived. Belle gave a quick thanks and walked off rather quickly.

It wasn't hard to spot his room. The green doors had ice over it here and there and then knobs were frozen. She knocked on the door hesitantly but demanding that he opened the door. Once it opened, she froze. She looked right at him with a dumb expression. Did she come here to accuse him? She had no proof and she still doubted a guy like Jack would do such a thing, he was so nice to her and he said so many nice things about Christmastown and her father. Why would he?

She opened and closed her mouth but no words came out. He dropped his smile at the sight of her and raised an eyebrow curiously, "Are you alright?" He asked, waving his hand in front of her.

She shook her head and sputtered a bit before taking a deep breath, "Yeah." She let it go. "I was... I was just wondering where you were. I hadn't seen you since we met." She said. It wasn't her reason to be there but she wasn't lying entirely. She had been wondering where he was.

"I was just here." He said simply. "I had to clean this place up, it was a mess." He added.

"Are you sure?" She asked suddenly. He was taken aback by the question and looked entirely confused. She swallowed heavily and then smiled sheepishly, "Sorry." She mumbled.

"Did you need anything?" He asked, leaning against the frame. He knew she knew something.

"Um, no. Not exactly." She said, playing with her hair again. She was so nervous.

"Well, now you know where I've been so..." He trailed off as he ever so slowly began to close the door. He tried to hide the amused smirk on his face as she stared at the floor.

"Actually, I was wondering if you'd like to hang out with me for a while?" She blurted out. Her eyes went wide but he couldn't see them under her bangs.

"Well, of course. I'd love to." He said, stepping out and closing the door behind him. He smiled as he took her image in, "You look nice today." He said.

"Thank you. Bernard dressed me." She said. She didn't know why she added that part but it just came out that way. Too late now.

Jack's stomach twisted and he felt weird on the insides, "He what?" He asked, a bit demanding.

She was confused at his tone but then her brain registered what she had said properly. Her eyes went wide and her heart skipped a beat, her stomach twisting and turning. "Oh, no! I didn't mean it that way, Jack. No, never!" She said frantically, her face turning crimson red. Her face actually burned with embarrassment. She couldn't believe he'd think that way of them. She couldn't believe he'd think that way, period. But it sounded that way, she didn't word the sentence right, it wasn't his fault.

He let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding, "Oh, good. Not that it matters to me what your personal, private life is like. It's just-" He snapped his mouth shut before he said all the wrong things to the lady. "Never mind." He mumbled.

There was an awkward silence between them and she blushed still, trying to get over everything. Then she remembered the reason she had come to Jack's room. She started walking and Jack followed her quietly.

"So, Jack..." She started. He turned his attention to her, "Did you hear the machinery in the factory is malfunctioning?" She asked casually, like it was normal news.

He cocked his head, "Is that so? Have they figured out what is going on?" Jack asked. He made himself seem so clueless, so innocent. He looked away and smirked before looking back at her seriously "concerned".

"Not yet. We just know that they aren't working. Like their frozen." She said. She made the last sentence sound just in the slightest of ways accusing. His expression didn't falter but then he cracked a smile.

"I wouldn't know a thing about it." He said openly sarcastic. She giggled slightly but took the hint although she didn't think he was intentionally being suspicious. She was just being paranoid already is all. She sighed heavy. She couldn't bring herself to think that Jack would do such a thing. She stopped walking and put her hands into her back pockets.

Jack stopped and looked back at her with a curious expression, "Everything alright?" He asked, walking up to her.

She smiled shyly, looking away at the snow and just nodded. "You wanna do something?" She asked, hopping on her toes slightly.

Jack cocked his head as he looked at her. She amused him the way she got all tangled up and nervous. The blush was so adorable too. It made him all warm inside. His stomach twisted at the feeling. He grimaced, "I'm not feeling well." He said hastily, putting his hand over his unsettled stomach.

Belle looked at him worriedly and tried to reach for him but he pulled away, almost looking disgusted. She felt offended suddenly but pushed the feeling away. "Do you need help? What's wrong?" She asked worriedly. She examined his face and he looked paler than usual and that was saying something. Small specks of snow started to form on his face but he quickly wiped it away.

Jack pulled his hand up to take her attention off from him. He swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded quickly. "I'm fine. I think I have to go lay down. I'm sorry, we'll go out later." He said, his voice choking almost. He turned and nearly jogged back to his room.

He slammed his doors shut and leaned on them, trying to catch his breath. He watched the fog coming from his mouth and it soothed him a bit so he could go into his bedroom and sit on the edge of his bed. He looked around his room, running his eyes over the glassy blue walls that were covered in ice. He tried concentrating on the dark blue curtains that stopped the sun from coming in and melting the ice during the day. Finally he felt normal again. He felt cold again.

He sighed in relief and fell back into the bed, staring up at the beautiful chandelier he made from ice. It sparkled as the small rays of sun that managed to squeeze in hit it. He got up on his knees on the bed and touched the chandelier gently, making it spin slowly. Little light beams of different colors shone around the room. It was beautiful. He smiled slightly as he sat back down.

Jack sighed happily as he laid back into the bed. "What to do next?" He asked himself as he tucked his arms behind his head. "I wrecked the kitchen, sabotaged the teddy bear machine _twice_, got away with it..." He said. "What else can I do? None of these things are getting Santa off track!" He shouted in disbelief. "How in the world am I supposed to get him kicked off the Legendaries?" He asked himself as he slowly started dozing off.

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><p>Santa sighed in relief at seeing his daughter walk into the factory. He rushed over to her, "What happened? Where did you go?" He asked.<p>

Belle had her face scrunched up as she wondered what on earth happened to Jack back there and she just didn't know. He had been fine seconds before he felt ill. Did he just not want to hang out with her? Did she make him uncomfortable?

"Belle." Santa said as he shook her by the shoulder.

"Huh?" She said, looking around. She hadn't noticed she even came back to the factory. She was shaken again and she looked up into her father's worried blue eyes. She shook her head trying to clear her mind and then smiled, "What?" She asked again since she hadn't heard what he said.

"Are you okay?" He asked, taking a look into her eyes. She looked lost in thought. He should worry about it later, they were falling behind slowly and then he wouldn't have time to be with his family. "Do you mind helping out?"

Belle flew back to earth and gave a sharp nod, "What do you need, Santa?" She asked, giving him a salute.

He looked around and looked for something simple yet significant for her to help him with. He noticed some elves were looking stressed and then he did a headcount in that area. There were some elves missing now. Then he remembered they were the kitchen elves and they left to do their respective jobs. The elves were struggling between putting together dolls and dressing them.

"Go over there and help the elves dress the dolls and teddy bears. They're falling behind. Watch out for things while I go check things out in the kitchen. I hope they haven't fallen behind too... or we're in serious trouble." He mumbled the last part to himself before leaving.

Belle took a deep breath and went over to the elves in need. She smiled and explained what Santa ordered and they seemed relieved. Belle sat in the chair that was two sizes too small for her but she worked with it.

It was rather simple. Pull on a shirt, a skirt, some socks, small shoes, a hat but then it got complicated putting on the curly hair but she managed. For the bears putting on the button eyes was troubling, she kept poking her fingertips with the needle and she didn't have time to find a thimble. She was working at a good speed but the elves were just too fast, piling dolls and bears in front of her. In a few seconds, she wouldn't be able to see over the pile.

"Belle?" Someone asked from behind the pile.

Belle craned her neck around the pile to see who it was. There stood little Curtis looking curious. She smiled sheepishly. "Yeah?" She asked as she continued to work.

"What are you doing?" He asked, walking around the desk so she could see him better.

"Helping out." She said as if it were so obvious.

"Why? Where's Bernard?" He asked.

"Sleeping." She said hastily, trying to speed up.

"Sleeping?" He asked in pure astonishment.

"I know, right? I got him to fall asleep. He told me to wake him up at noon but I decided I'd let the poor elf sleep, he deserves it." She explained. "Ow!" She squeaked as the needle poked her again. Curtis reached out quickly and handed her a thimble. "Thanks." She said sheepishly. She hadn't seen the things sitting right there in front of her.

"Where's Santa? I have something important to tell him." He said, turning serious.

Belle furrowed her eyebrows, "You can tell me, I'm sure I can handle it. I'm Santa's daughter after all." She said proudly. She could handle it, Christmas was in her blood.

Curtis made a face and then sighed. "We're having trouble at the stalls with the reindeer. Comet is acting out again and some of the older reindeer refuse to eat their food. The elves have tried everything but nothing works." He said frantically.

Belle resisted the urge to groan. She didn't have the authority to order elves around nor did she know who to order to help at the stalls.

"I'm sorry, Curtis, I don't know what to say..." She whispered sadly. "Santa is in the kitchen." She said as she struggled to put a skirt on a rag doll.

Curtis nodded and ran off to find Santa. Belle groaned softly and scanned over the room, checking to see if anything was going wrong. She was relieved to see everything under control and got back to work.

"Belle!" Someone shouted. She jumped and dropped the doll she was working on. Curtis came around the table and picked it up for her while yelling, "Belle, this is terrible! Everything is out of control! Elves are mixed up in departments, the reindeer refuse to work and the kitchen is on _fire_!" He said frantically.

Belle almost lost her eyes, they threatened to pop out of her skull. She jumped up, the shock being too great. Her heart raced, everything was going out of control.

"Bernard!" She screamed as she ran out of the factory as fast as she could. She ran into a pair of elves carrying a small decorative table and they almost dropped it. She apologized quickly and then reached the doors to Bernard's room. She stopped and tried to recompose herself. If she went in there in panic, he'd lose it. Not to mention he would be furious that she let him sleep. It was already two in the afternoon.

She took a deep breath and opened the door quietly, walking into his room. She saw him in his bed still sleeping peacefully. She almost turned and left but she knew Santa needed him back. She bit her lip and slowly reached out for him. She finally reached his shoulder and shook him softly. He stirred a bit and then his eyes opened.

He was surprised to see Belle first thing when he opened his eyes. He smiled absentmindedly and slowly sat up at the edge of the bed while yawning.

"Hey, Benny..." She whispered. She stopped fidgeting with her braid and slowly knelt down in front of him, leaning on his legs slightly. "I came here to wake you because Santa needs you right now." She whispered softly, like she were breaking terrible news to him.

He became fully awake and ran into the bathroom, "It's already noon?" He shouted before shutting the door.

Belle wrenched her hands together and bit her lip nervously. She swallowed the lump in her throat, "Um, no... It's two in the afternoon." She said.

She heard a loud thud, like someone falling. "What?" He screamed from inside the bathroom.

She walked to the door quickly, "Are you okay?" She asked, hoping he didn't hurt himself when he fell. The door swung open and he walked out angrily, his face red. He stalked up to Belle and she backed away until she hit the bed and fell back into it.

She was scared and nervous. She avoided looking at him so she wouldn't see his angry face... or his bare chest. Bernard pulled on his shirt and then continued to glare at her, "You didn't wake me up? I told you to wake me up at noon! I trusted you!" He said, pulling on his shoes.

"You needed the sleep, Bernard!" She defended. He rolled his eyes so he wouldn't say anything to hurt her and continued to get dressed. "I came here because there have been some problems-"

"Problems? What kind of problems?" He asked. He felt light headed. He sleeps for a few hours and what happens? Christmas is in jeopardy!

"Well," She swallowed heavy again, "elves are where they're not supposed to be trying to balance things out but I guess that makes things worse. The reindeer are refusing to work, Comet is acting out and..." He was going to blow his top... "the kitchen is sort of on fire." She said nervously.

Bernard's eye twitched. He turned and ran out, "We'll talk about this later, Belle." He said sternly before slamming the door shut.

"Great... Now Bernard is mad at me. I was only trying to help him... I thought I could handle it..." She whispered into his empty room. "He's not going to speak to me for a while... Dad is going to be too busy... Mom is already busy enough..." She said, counting off the people she could talk to right now. Then she remembered one last person she could possibly talk to... "But he didn't seem to want to see me..." She said sadly, counting off Jack, her last hope to company.

She sighed heavily and got up, leaving Bernard's room. She started walking to her room which wasn't too far but stopped halfway. She lifted her head and looked up at her favorite lights that always shined so bright. So colorful and high up. She didn't want to be locked up in her room but she ran in anyway. She grabbed her black coat and scarf and was back out and on her way to one of her favorite places that no one knew about. She couldn't help so she decided it would be best to wait it out.

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><p><em><strong>A bit dramatic, don't you think? Keep reading to find out what Jack has in mind and will Bernard forgive Belle right away? What will happen? Will Christmas be ruined with all these continuous and mysterious accidents? Will someone get to the bottom of this? And why is Carol being so distant? Will Santa lose his cool?<strong>_

_**Please leave reviews! Tell me what you think of the story so far! :)**_

_**P.S. I have another chapter ready for you all but if I don't see more reviews, I'm not posting it! So review! I want to know what you think about the story!**_

_**P.S.S. I know you're all noticing something different with my story... More Bernard! Remember, it's a Bernard/OC/Jack story so it is yet undecided! You all may vote, letting me know who will get the girl but of course, I'll let you know when to start voting! :) Just sit tight and enjoy the ride.**_


	5. Catastrophes and Cabins

_**A/N: What do you people think so far? Any suggestions for what can happen next? :3 Please enjoy.**_

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><p>Belle walked through Christmastown quietly, hoping not to catch anyone's attention. The walk was long but she didn't mind, she needed it. She watched the birds cuddle up together in their nests, hiding from the cold. She watched the butterflies swoop around her like they were playing. She watched the little squirrels run up trees and hop from branch to branch, storing acorns. She watched nature do it's thing and before she knew it, she was at the border of Christmastown where trees were more abundant and wild and unkempt.<p>

She sighed and took that one step forward and the snow consumed her feet to her ankles. She turned her torso back to look at Christmastown where colorful signs were seen over the trees. Over the signs she could see the smoke and then she heard sirens from the firetrucks. She sighed and walked further into the forest, looking for the opening to her secret trail. Of course it was covered in snow, she thought.

Luckily, years ago she tied a bright red scarf around a tree which she spotted dancing in the wind. She walked to it and couldn't help but frown at it. Time has not done it well. It was losing it's color, small animals seemed to have nibbled on it and it was very dirty.

She followed her trail which consisted of items stuck to the trees. Some were missing like the stickers but the ribbons and tinsel remained tied around trees which was enough to lead her in the right direction. She wouldn't find her way here if it weren't for the items. It has been six since she came here.

She used to come here when she was thirteen, right about the age she argued with her father a lot and about the time she first started visiting the North Pole. When she didn't want to be surrounded by the jolly elves or her father, she ran into the forest and found this place.

Belle sighed at the sight of the old wooden cabin. It brought back so many memories. Not happy memories but memories nonetheless. The only memories she had here was her coming when she was sick of the elves being so happy and sick of her father trying to get to her. Back then she wasn't used to having him around. In the city he worked day and night, never had time for her. In the North Pole, same situation. Belle had a hard time letting him be close but eventually he found a way in. He started finding ways to make her laugh, finding common interests and then he showed her the Hall of Globes one day. It made her smile brightly, made her realize why her father loved what he did so much and realized he wanted to share it with her. She noticed how truly beautiful Christmas was.

Belle sighed, pushing the thoughts away and walked into the old cabin. The door creaked loudly as if complaining that it didn't want to be moved. It was dark and she noticed the small windows had been boarded. She walked back out and looked at the wood that covered the windows. They were simply nailed into the walls. She flexed her hands and tried to pull them off. The first board came off easily, she almost fell back. The second took more effort but came off too. She went around and pulled on the other board. It wouldn't budge. She kept pulling harder but the nails were in pretty deep. Then the wood cracked and shattered. She hissed when it sliced her palm and she dropped the wood, clutching her hand tightly as blood gushed from it. It wasn't too deep though, nothing to worry about.

She went back into the cabin and shut the door with her foot and then small cabin shook a bit. Belle froze for a moment, hoping that it wouldn't collapse on her or anything. She calmed down and then ever so gently sat on the wooden chair at the table. She unwrapped the black scarf from her neck and tied it around her hand as best she could. She sighed and leaned back, looking around aimlessly. The place was full of spiderwebs and dust. The fireplace was covered in old ashes, she was surprised the wind hadn't blown it away. Actually, it must have in six years.

"Someone else must have found my hiding place. Guess the same people that boarded the windows. Probably some elves." She said to herself. Then she remembered that she had bought Bernard here once or twice before when she wanted him to get off work but he wouldn't board the windows.

She smiled at the little couch tucked in a corner. She saw her fifteen year old self sleeping there peacefully though with a pout. The time her father didn't let her ride a reindeer. She had a tantrum in front of Bernard and she was so embarrassed afterward that she ran off here.

Belle giggled at the memory. "Oh how much I've changed. Changed for the best." She said happily.

Belle couldn't help but smile at the memories with Bernard. She absolutely loved having that man... or elf... as a best friend. She really did. She felt like screaming it into the air sometimes when she was with him just having fun but that would be embarrassing if he took it the wrong way.

She remembered the first time she laid eyes on him. She thought he was cute. But then he opened his mouth and he started saying words she didn't understand. She checked him off a spazz. It annoyed her how he always stood too straight with his chin up. He always talked about problems and fixing things and just worried all the time. She didn't bother talking to him. She ran into him one day when he wasn't in the factory and he smiled at her, asking why she was wandering around all alone. She remembers opening her mouth to say something smart like 'I don't need anyone's help to take a walk. Don't you need to go yell at some elves?' but nothing ever came out. She just stared up at him, since he was much taller than her at the time, and said nothing. He took her by the hand and led her to her mother.

Belle laughed at the fact that she got goosebumps at the memory. Then she remembered when she arrived here two days ago. She had been so excited to see them again. In particular her father of course but Bernard came close in second. She hadn't been expecting to meet Jack Frost though. Not at all. That had been very exciting.

She blushed at the memory of him and the night they spent together dancing under the streetlight. He was so charming and smooth. He knew all the right things to say to make her smile or blush. Now that she thought about it, she blushed a lot around the cold man. What was it that made her so tangled? She hadn't a clue. She sighed, remembering his strange behavior from earlier today. What had she done to make him act like that? Had she done anything at all? She has reason to believe not.

"Today has just been a wacky day is all." She said to herself.

She frowned, thinking about all of the things that have happened. The fire in the factory, the rats in the kitchen, the frozen parts in the machines, the fire in the kitchen, the reindeer strike. It was all so strange but she couldn't find a single clue. Nothing tied together only that everything was messing up.

She sighed and saw her breath spread out in front of her. That's when she noticed how darn cold she was. She could handle cold pretty well but not too much and she must have been here for an hour already. She reached into her pocket with her good hand and pulled out her iPod. She unlocked it and looked at the time and she was surprised so much time had passed. She got so lost in her thoughts that time slipped away plus the walk here took well over twenty minutes at a normal pace and she took her time getting here.

She wondered if she should go back now before Santa began to worry. She sighed and got up, stuffing her iPod back into her pocket. She tugged her coat closer and opened the door. The wind hit her with some force, taking the beanie off her head but she hadn't noticed it had slipped off slowly so she didn't adjust it. She grabbed it from the floor and put it back on, covering her ears with it.

She walked out on the snow and looked up. The Northern Lights were shining brightly now that it was getting dark. She would have to hurry.

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><p>Santa sighed, taking his seat behind his desk finally. The kitchen fire was minor. The cocoa machine had burst into flames, nothing too big like the fire at the factory. Santa took it into his own hands to fix it and was done in a minute. He went to inspect the reindeer after Curtis informed them of their behavior. Turns out someone gave Comet candy and switched the reindeer's normal food which upset their stomachs. He quickly took care of that and by tomorrow they should be just fine. Then, with the help of his head elf, he made a reunion with his elves, sorting them around and sending them to their respective posts. Everyone was back where they belonged and were happy.<p>

All but one elf. He noticed right away that was something was off about Bernard but he didn't find the chance to ask him.

There was a knock on his door and he looked up to see his wife standing there with a sympathetic smile on her lips. "Tired?" She asked as she walked in.

Santa sighed heavily and nodded, "You have no idea. I think this is coming to be the most complicated Christmas yet." He said, sounding concerned.

Carol sighed and went around the desk to sit on his lap. She kissed his rosy cheek and smiled, "I'm sure everything will be fine after today. We had a rough day but we pulled through, didn't we?" She asked. He nodded reluctantly, "Barely." He said. She chuckled, "But you did nonetheless. Don't worry, honey, everything will be alright. It always is." She reassured him.

"Hmm." He squeezed her by the waist gently, "How was your day?" He asked.

"Ugh, exhausting. It's not easy chasing bunnies around." She said, going limp in his arms.

"Bunnies?" He asked in confusion. He thought they were puppies.

"Yeah. You know girls love bunnies, dear." She said as if it were obvious. Apparently to Santa it wasn't obvious. "So where is Belle?" Carol asked, wanting to see her daughter.

"Who?" He asked dumbly.

"Belle? Your daughter." She said, leaning away to look at his face. "Where's Belle?" She asked, a bit more alarmed this time.

"Oh... I'm sorry, baby, I've been so caught up in work." He paused to think of where Belle was last. "Last I saw her was in the factory. I left her helping some elves so I could go check on things in the kitchen." He said.

"When the fire lit?" She asked in disbelief.

"About." He said with a nod.

"Scott, that was four hours ago!" She said. She couldn't believe they lost their daughter.

"Relax, she's probably in her room." He said while chuckling at his wife's panicked face.

"Go check." She said as she got off his lap.

"But-"

"Scott." She said sternly, pointing out of the office.

Santa groaned and got up, trudging all the way to his daughter's room. He knocked on the door and waited for it to open. It didn't. Maybe she didn't hear. He knocked harder, "Belle?" He called for her. He stepped back and waited for an answer. It never came. He furrowed his eyebrows and walked to the window and looked inside. It was dark.

He walked back and looked around. It was already dark out and the Christmas lights and streetlights were on. He ran over to an elf that was walking by, "Excuse me, have you seen Belle?" He asked, looking around still.

"No, sir-"

"Didn't think so." He mumbled and quickly walked back toward the factory but halfway there he ran into Curtis. "Curtis! Have you seen Belle anywhere?" He asked, becoming a bit nervous.

"Actually, no. I haven't seen her since the fire incident." He said. "You can't find her?" He asked.

"No." He said before turning to look around again. If she were around, she'd certainly stand out from the elves and the town wasn't all that big, if she was outside, he'd be able to see her. He spotted someone who also stood out from the rest of the elves. "Jack! Jack over here!" He called out, waving over his head so he would see him.

Jack rolled his eyes and forced a smiled before walking over to Santa. "Yes?" He asked politely.

"Have you seen Belle anywhere?" He asked.

Jack noticed the tone of panic in the fat man's voice and his stomach twisted a bit with nerves. "No, I haven't seen her since this morning. Why? Is she missing?" He asked.

"No, not missing." He defended with a tone that said 'I wouldn't lose my own daughter'. He looked around again, "I just don't know where she is." He admitted.

Santa felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked at it. A manicured hand. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, "Oh no..." He said under his breath.

"Did you find her?" Carol asked.

"No, he hasn't. We have no clue where she is, we haven't seen her since this morning." Jack said with an innocent smile. That should jack things up for Santa a bit.

"What? Santa, how could you lose her?" She asked loudly.

"Not lose her. Misplaced." He said.

"Santa." She hissed.

"Carol, why don't you go inside and rest? I'll find her, I promise." He said, pushing her away. "We'll all search for her and we'll have her back in no time." He said in a rush before walking away from her quickly. She turned to Jack and Curtis. "You have to help me find her." He said desperately.

"Will do, sir!" Curtis said before wobbling away to search for her. He didn't get too far before he ran right into someone and fell back.

"Curtis, why are you running? Watch where you're going." He said as he lifted the boy up. "What's the rush?" He asked.

"We're out looking for Belle, she's been missing since noon." He said before trying to scurry off. He felt his shirt being grabbed and then pulled back. He turned around to meet an angry looking face.

"Where. Is. Santa?" He asked seriously.

Curtis swallowed and pointing in the general direction. Once his shirt was released he ran off to search for Belle, hoping he'd find her and be the hero for once.

Santa was explaining to Jack the possible places Belle could be when he saw someone stalking up to him. Now he was going to get it. No one worried quite like him and now it came down to his best friend...

"Santa, what's this I hear about Belle missing?" Bernard asked with a certain tone in his voice that resembled accusation and scolding.

"She's not missing, I just don't know where she is!" He explained for the fourth time. He pulled his hat off and sighed, wrenching it in his hands.

Jack took a step back, letting the two work it out. He turned on his heel and continued his walk and keeping in eye out in case Belle happened to stroll by.

"Santa, how-"

"I know, I know, Bernard! Just help me look for her!" He said while throwing his hands up in the air.

"Look for who?" Came a voice.

They both turned and sighed in relief. Belle was standing there looking curious and okay. Santa pulled her in for a hug, "Where on earth were you?" He asked, his recent worry evident in his voice. Belle looked at Bernard that stood behind Santa.

"I was just taking a walk is all." She said.

Bernard scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest, "Walking for five hours and nowhere to be seen?" He asked. He shook his head, "Right." He said sarcastically.

"Well, I made a few stops at shops. Right now I was at the bakery." She said innocently.

"Just let me know where you're going next time, okay? You had us all worried." Santa said, giving her a kiss on her forehead.

"Yeah, dad, I will. Sorry." She said sheepishly.

"Oh, Belle!" Carol said as she ran over to hug her princess. "Where were you?" She asked.

"Just walking around the shops. Here, I got you this." She said as she pulled out a charm bracelet she happened to have in her coat pocket. She didn't really like it because it was just pearls and she didn't really like pearls. Carol took it and put it on before hugging her daughter. "I love it." She said and then yawned. "Excuse me." She said with a giggle.

"Yeah, I'm tired too." Belle giggled.

"I think we all are." Santa said, putting his arm over Carol's shoulders. "I think we should be headed home now. Straight to your room, Belle." He warned before walking off with Carol, "Good night, baby girl." They said in unison.

Belle sighed in relief that they didn't ask her too many questions. She turned around to head to her room but ran into Bernard. She squeaked in surprise since she forgot he had been standing there.

"You were at the cabin." He said.

She opened her mouth to deny it but she closed it and cocked her head. He read her like a book. "How do you know?" She asked softly.

"You only wear heavy coats when you're in the outskirts and there's snow on you. It hasn't snowed here today." He said.

"You're good." She mocked with a smile. He remained serious and she frowned, knowing there was a problem. "You're still mad at me." She said.

"I can't believe you didn't wake me up. You know how important my job is to me. You see all of the madness going on here yet you let me sleep. I know you think I deserve it but that's not exactly a treat for me, Belle. I'm happy at work, I'm at ease." He said, his anger melting away slowly. She frowned and looked away at the snow covered ground. He sighed and pulled her in for a hug. She was surprised at first but then returned the hug happily. "I know you were just trying to help, Belle. It means a lot but don't ever do something like that again." He said into her hair. Belle just nodded. "Come on, I'll walk you home." He said, taking her hand and walking forward.

Belle hissed and jerked her arm away, putting it slightly behind her. Bernard jumped at the sudden action and then looked at her curiously, "What?" He asked.

Belle had kept her hand still as much as she could and didn't feel too much pain but that sudden squeeze made her see stars and she could feel blood flowing again. Her hand trembled and her eyes watered but if Bernard found out, he'd eat her alive.

"Belle? What's wrong with your hand?" He asked suspiciously.

"N-Nothing. I just..." She couldn't tell him that she didn't want him to hold her hand, she never minded it. She didn't know what to say and now the pain was pulsing. A tear escaped and she quickly wiped it away but with the wrong hand. He saw the scarf.

Bernard walked forward and caught her wrist before she hid her hand behind her. He looked at the scarf and then at her. She was looking away. He frowned and untied the scarf from around her hand. When he saw the blood and the cut he almost cursed out loud.

"Belle, what happened here?" He asked, moving her arm so she could see the cut herself.

She found there was no point in making something up, he wouldn't believe it. "I was pulling off some boards from the cabin windows and one shattered and sliced my hand. It's no big deal, it just stings a little." She said.

"Why did you go to the cabin anyway?" He asked as he dragged her to the hospital room.

"I didn't have anything else to do. Dad was busy, mom was busy, Jack didn't want to see me..." She said sadly, "...and you were mad at me." She said softly, almost a whisper.

"I was not mad at you, Belle. You know I can't be mad at you... I'm an elf, supposed to be jolly all the time." He joked sarcastically. Belle cracked a smile at that. "I'm sorry I yelled at you this morning..." He said.

"It's okay, Bernard... I know it wasn't personal." She said with a soft smile.

He walked her into the hospital room, "Watch your head." He said and she ducked just in time before hitting her head.

He waited for her outside while they cleaned her hand up. She was out in a few minutes. He turned to her and looked at her hand that was now clean of blood and wrapped in gauze. "How is it?" He asked.

"I'll live." She said with a smile. He smiled and then they walked to her room. He opened the door for her, "Thanks." She said.

He gave her a nod and then made a slight face, "I... gotta go check on the elves. Christmas is just two weeks away and counting." He said with a sheepish smile. He turned on his heel and left her at the door. She watched him go until she couldn't see him behind the corner. She was about to close her door but someone called her.

"So you decided to turn up? You had your parents very worried." He said in mock scold.

She smiled sheepishly, "Yeah..." She said. "You weren't?" She asked teasingly.

He shrugged simply and in turn she leaned on one leg and crossed her arms. He chuckled and held his arms up in surrender, "Alright, I worried." He admitted honestly. Not that he became fond of her but he didn't want her missing, bad things could happen to her out there alone.

She smiled at him, "Thanks." She said simply. He gave her a nod and turned to leave, thinking that was the end of the conversation. "Jack." She called almost desperately.

He stopped and hid his look of confusion from her, "Yes?" He called back from where he stood about five feet away from her.

"Can you come in for a minute?" She asked quietly for him to hear.

He felt shivers run down his spine in a weird way. He considered it for a moment and decided he would since he had nothing else to do. He turned around and gave her a shrug, "I'd love to." He said as he walked up to her. She moved aside to let him in.

"Did you... want to talk about something in particular?" He asked, turning to face her.

She fiddled with the end of her braid, "No." She shook her head, "I mean yes!" She corrected quickly. "Yeah." She said more calmly. She led him into the small living room and offered him a seat next to her on the only couch she had. He sat down, trying to leave as much space between them as possible.

"So?" He pressed on.

Belle picked at her fingernails nervously, keeping her eyes off of him. She bit her lip and braved herself. "I'm gonna come out and say it, Jack." She said confidently though her hands slightly shook. She feared his answer. He glanced at her expectantly. She sighed, "What happened earlier today? Did I... say something wrong?" She asked worriedly.

Jack made a confused face, not knowing what she was talking about but then he remembered. "Oh," He chuckled, "Belle, I told you that I wasn't feeling well-"

"Yeah, I know that but it happened so suddenly-"

"Yes, I know, I wondered about it as well but I suppose all that matters is that I am fine now, no?" He said, hoping she would drop the subject.

"Well, I guess..." She said, trailing off to think about it to herself. Jack watched her curiously and then he noticed the bandages on her hand. He was shocked at seeing it.

"Belle, what ever happened to your hand?" He asked worriedly. Not faking this time.

"Hm?" Belle said, breaking away for her thoughts. Her brain registered what he said and she shrugged, "Just had a little accident, nothing to worry about." She said, holding her hand out, palm up. There was a small stain of blood forming but she barely felt pain now, as long as she didn't close her hand.

"You don't happen to be left handed, are you?" He asked randomly.

Belle knew what he was getting at and smiled, shaking her head, "No, thankfully I'm a righty so I won't have many problems. I think I can manage with one hand for a day or two." She stated simply.

"Well," Jack said suddenly, making Belle flinch slightly. He jumped off the couch to his feet and turned to face Belle with a smile, all in one swift movement. "it was nice speaking to you, Belle, but it's getting rather late for me. I should be heading home now." He said, turning to leave. Belle got up and dashed to the door, opening it for him.

"Yes, well, whenever you want to talk," She gave him a nod a small smile, "you know where to find me."

He chuckled, "I don't, actually." He said, referring to her missing earlier. Belle giggled and shook her head. He gave her one last smile, showing his pearly whites, and then stepped out. Belle smiled as she watched him leave. She closed the door when she couldn't see him anymore and then leaned on it, letting a long, tired sigh escape. Today had been a tough day and she was tired.

She trudged into her room, her intentions being to change into her pj's but when she reached out for the drawer, she remembered her hand was hurt. She sighed, planning out how she would change. Eventually, she managed to carefully remove her clothes and slip on a night gown that barely reached her knees. She struggled to pull on her colorful, knee-length socks. Once she finished, she went to brush her teeth. She laid the tooth brush steadily on the sink counter and carefully applied the tooth paste. After brushing her teeth, she went to her room to brush her hair. Getting it out of the braid was fairly easy as was brushing it.

When she finally reached her bed, she dropped into it, closed her eyes and the rest is history.

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><p><em><strong>AN: I am SOOOO sorry for taking so long to update! I don't know why I stopped writing for this... Well, I finished it and it's up, hope you enjoyed it. Yeah, yeah, it was a bit... not jolly... but it was interesting, no?**_

_**I'm sorry, I lost my best friend of six years today (No, she didn't die!) and I'm completely devastated and here's the fruit of that devastation...a bad chapter. Hopefully the next chapter will be better! :)**_

_**REVIEW! :'D**_


	6. Window Shopping

_**A/N: I'm glad you are all liking this so far (: Last chapter didn't get too many reviews but those who did review deserve an update. I hope the next chapter gets at least five? :/ Enjoy!**_

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><p>"Belle?" Jack called through her door. He had decided he'd take her out tonight, just for fun. He deserved a day off and he couldn't think of anyone better to spend it with than Belle. He hoped she was awake already.<p>

He knocked on the door with his foot softly, hoping not to scare her awake. He heard some shuffling from inside. He took a long step back and put on a friendly smile just as the door opened. Belle's hair was disheveled, and her eyes were squinting against the sunlight. She had in fact been sleeping.

Belle's eyes widened. She looked down at herself wearing the light gown. Her cheeks heated up and she ran inside, slamming the door behind her. Jack stood there, confused. He looked down at the two steaming cups of cocoa in his hands and then back up at the blue colored doors. He pursed his lips as he awkwardly looked around.

He sighed and just then the door swung open. Belle greeted him with a wide smile and she was readjusting her gray turtleneck sweater. He looked her over quickly and smiled. He always loved what she wore, such a nice sense of style. Simple and cute. She matched the body hugging sweater nicely with the dark blue skinnies and furry gray boots. Her hair was loose, framing her angelic face perfectly.

"Good morning, dear." He said, giving her a nice smile.

"Good morning!" She said happily. "What brings you here, Jack?" She asked with a tone that made him smile. So sweet and loving. He felt shivers run down his spine.

"Oh, I was just wondering if maybe, later tonight you wou-" He started but she cut him off.

She gasped, waving him inside, "Oh, please, please, come in, Jack." She said, moving aside so he could walk in. She closed the door and pointed at the couch in front of the fireplace. He sat and she plopped down next to him.

"Whoa!" He said, splinting his legs just before the cocoa that splashed had a chance to land on his pants. He chuckled as Belle apologized repeatedly, her face flushing in red. "It's alright. Here, I brought this for you. I hope it hasn't gotten cold." He said as he handed her the nicely decorated mug.

She took the mug and smelled it's contents. Her eyes closed and she sighed in delight. She smiled, "Thank you." She said before taking a sip. "Now, what were you saying?" She asked giddily.

"I just wanted to know if you had any plans for tonight." He said before taking a sip of the cocoa. Luckily his had cooled down enough.

Belle grinned, "Why? Do you wanna ask me out, Mr. Frost?" She teased, tapping his knee with her own.

He chuckled and shook his head at her childish antics, "Yes. Well, in a friendly manner, of course." He said quickly, not wanting to give her the wrong ideas.

He felt a slight tinge of guilt when he saw her smile drop for the briefest of seconds. She once again smiled, taking a sip from her cocoa. "What did you have in mind?" She asked excitedly.

"Well, I was hoping you would decide. You see, I'm terrible at making plans for these things." He chuckled sheepishly.

"I'm sure you know this place better than I, Jack. What would you like to do?" She asked. She waited for Jack's response but he just looked at her as if he hadn't heard her speak. Belle tilted her head, wondering if he was alright. She reached out and put her hand on his knee, giving it a squeeze. That got his attention, his eyes coming back to focus. "Are you alright, Jack?" She asked worriedly.

"I'm sorry, I just couldn't help getting lost in your eyes. They're so captivating." He said without thinking. Belle felt a wave of warmth go over he body, making her feel wonderful. She looked away from his face and giggled.

"Thank you." She whispered, feeling incredibly shy.

Jack cleared his throat nervously. He hadn't intended to make her feel uncomfortable. "I'm sorry, I-"

"No, no, it's fine, Jack, really." She said, looking him in the eyes again. He smiled in relief. "So?" He asked.

"Hm?" Belle questioned as she took a sip from her warm cocoa.

Jack chuckled slightly at her, "Have you any plans for tonight?" He asked her more clearly.

Belle smiled, "No, I hadn't made any plans for tonight. I am completely available. I'd love to..." She thought of a way should could say it without it sounding weird. 'g_o out with you', 'spend the evening with you'..._ "...um..." She couldn't think of any.

Jack laughed and gave her knee a pat, "Splendid. How does 6 o'clock sound?"

"Perfect." She said, letting go of the breath she didn't know she had been holding. She smiled at him as he got up from the couch. She followed him to the door, opening it for him. "Thank you for coming, Jack." She said sweetly.

"Thank you for having me. It was a pleasure. It always is." He said to her softly. He watched amused as another blush spread across her face. He couldn't help but smile. He turned on his heel and walked off without a second glance, hiding his grin. He was actually looking forward to tonight.

Belle ran inside, dived into her bed and squealed like a fan girl into her pillow. She sat up, out of breath, and grinned. He was so sweet and charming! It was almost unbelievable someone could be so kind. She put her hand against her tummy, swearing she could literally feel the butterflies. Just then her stomach growled.

"Hm, time for breakfast." She said, getting off her bed and walking to the door. "I wonder what Benny is doing." She mumbled, starting to walk in the direction to his house. Then she stopped, shaking her head. "He's not there." She grumbled, knowing he'd be at the factory, working. She turned in that direction instead.

She opened the large doors of the factory, walking straight to the work room. She looked around, smiling at the beautiful elf faces as she searched for the most beautiful of all.

"Looking for me?"

Belle turned and smiled widely. She never got tired of seeing him. Bernard smiled and pulled her into a tight hug. "Hey, Benny." She sighed happily.

"What brings you here so early?" He asked, letting her go.

"Oh, Jack went by my room a-"

"Frost?" He asked suspiciously. "What did _he_ want?" He didn't like that Jack was visiting Belle. He didn't like it at all.

Belle shrugged, not noticing his disapproval, "He wanted to know if I was busy tonight. He asked me out. Not like on a date, but we're going to spend the evening out." She said innocently.

The vein in Bernard's forehead threatened to pop. "And you agreed to go?" He asked, almost behind gritted teeth. Somehow Belle was oblivious to his mood.

"Well of course." She smiled, "I had nothing to do anyway." She shrugged. Bernard wanted to throw his head back and groan but he restrained himself from doing so. He had a better idea.

"What a shame, I was going to ask you out tonight. Looks like he beat me to it. Oh well." He said, making an over dramatic shrug and sigh combo.

Belle felt her stomach twist. "You were? What about work?" She asked, almost desperately.

Bernard ran his hand over her cheek softly, "You know I can always make time for you." He whispered.

Belle blinked a few times. She was shocked at this. Not at his actions but the fact he'd give up work to take her out. She was torn. She knew she couldn't break it with Jack but she loves being with her best friend. There's not a moment she'd give up to be with him.

"Are you alright?" Bernard asked curiously after a minute of silence from her. She looked like she was deep in thought. Maybe he shouldn't have said what he did. Jack doesn't have anything against her. He should have thought this through a bit better.

"Well..." She finally said, "maybe you can join us?" She asked hopefully.

"No, no, that's fine." He said quickly. He sighed as she looked away sadly. He grabbed her hand and leaned in to her ear, "You know I've never been good at sharing... even for an elf." He whispered.

Belle blushed like mad and she smiled like a complete idiot. She giggled for lack of a better choice of words. "That's true." She managed to say in a whisper.

Bernard leaned back and smirked at her. "Why, Belle, I had no idea you had so many teeth!" He teased.

Belle instantly wanted to hide her smile but she couldn't. If possible, she smiled wider. Her face threatened to split in half. "Stop that!" She giggled, giving him a playful shove.

"Stop what? What have I done wrong?" He said, faking innocence. Belle just rolled her eyes and looked away, embarrassed. Bernard chuckled at her expense. He grabbed her elbow, gave her quick kiss on her forehead and started walking away, "I have a lot of work to do, I'll talk to you later, Belle." He said with a smile before disappearing behind the mess.

Belle had time only to sigh before, "Hey, honeypot, what brings you here?" Santa asked as he came and kissed her head.

"Hey, dad." She smiled, "I don't really remember what I came here for actually." She said with a sheepish laugh.

"It's still really early," He said as he glanced at his watch, "it's only 8:30." He said. "Are you feeling alright? You're never up at this time." He teased as he felt her face for a fever. Belle pushed his hand away a scowled at him.

"Jack went over to my room earlier to-"

"Jack? What did he want?" He asked curiously.

"I was getting to that!" She said exasperatedly. Santa waited for her to continue. Belle sighed, shaking her head. "He wanted to know if I was doing something later tonight." She explained.

"Oh, well, as a matter of fact, you do!" Santa said, suddenly very excited.

"What? No I don't. I already told him I was available." She said anxiously.

"Well, you two can go together if you want but you can't miss it. There's going to be a party tonight! You should know that!" He said, shaking her by the shoulders.

"A party? About what?" She asked curiously and confused.

"Belle!" He said, not believing that she didn't know. "It's your mothers birthday today!" He exclaimed.

Belle's eyes widened in horror. "How could I forget that?!" She wailed. She gasped suddenly, "That must be why she was acting so weird the other day! Gosh, I can't believe I forgot, I'm such a horrible daughter!" She cried out.

Santa patted his distressed daughter's shoulder, "Relax, honey, it's okay. It's human to forget things!" He tried soothing her.

"Not your mother's birthday!" She objected.

"_Even _your mother's birthday." He ignored her objection and continued speaking, "Just relax. Now you know and you still have time to get her something. You can-"

"Presents! I gotta go!" She said before running out, leaving her father with words in his mouth. She ran out, looking around for any open stores. "Nothing!" She hissed, jogging across the snow, looking over all the 'closed' signs. "This can't be happening! Of all days, today they had to be closed."

"It's Sunday." Belle gasped and spun around. There was an elf standing in front of her. "At this time, so close to Christmas, stores don't open. Specially not so early in the morning." She explained.

"Why not?" She asked, bewildered. She didn't know that.

The elf shrugged, "Santa decided it was best that way. No one would buy things and he'd leave us the presents. Make sense?" She asked.

"Yeah... it does." Belle said sadly, her shoulders dropping. "Now how am I supposed to get mom a present?" She whined.

"Don't be sad, miss. You're Santa Claus' daughter! You must have some gift making talents." She encouraged, giving Belle a warm smile.

Belle hadn't thought of making something herself. Her mother would love something homemade even better and Belle had probably some kind of skills. She grinned, swooping down to hug the elf girl, "Thank you! You're an angel!" She said before running off to her rooms.

Once she was inside, she looked around. "What can I possibly make mom?" She wondered aloud, wandering in her rooms for any ideas. "A drawing? A bracelet? A necklace?" She offered herself ideas. "No, she has enough of those." She sighed. She suddenly gasped. "I got it!" She shouted, running toward the door but she stopped half way. "But how on earth am I going to get there?" She sighed heavily. "Chet! He'll take me!" She said excitedly as she ran out of her rooms.

Belle ran across the snow, sticking to the shadows, and made it to the reindeer stalls. She sneaked in quietly and walked down the aisle, looking into the stalls for the rambunctious reindeer. She immediately heard his distinctive laughing. She walked over, patting his jerking head. "Hey there, Chet. Would you do me a big favor?" She whispered. Chet responded with more bubbly laughter. "I need you to take me down to the human world, boy. Think you can manage that?"

Chet once again responded with more laughter but he started running around excitedly. Belle took that as a yes and opened his stall door and Chet flew out, making all kinds of noise. "Shh! You need to be quiet and behave or I'll just take Comet!" She hissed, trying to calm him. She grabbed the reins and tied them on to him and he was steady enough to allow it.

Belle walked him to the door and then poked her head out to see if anyone was near by. She fell back, screaming in surprise.

"What do you think you're doing?" Bernard asked, walking in and pulling her to her feet. Belle patted herself free of hay and sighed, "I'm going down to my home so I can get mom a present for her birthday. All the stores here are closed apparently." She explained, pulling Chet outside.

"You're not going anywhere, Belle. It's too dangerous to go down there alone, specially on Chet." He said, taking the reins and pulling the excited reindeer back inside.

"Come with me then." She pleaded.

"No way." He said flatly, hoping she'd drop it. Of course she didn't.

"I'm going, Bernard." She said, taking the reins back and pulling Chet out again. "Don't try and stop me, you know you won't win." She said determinedly as she hopped on Chet.

"I know." He grumbled in annoyance. He knew he would have to go. "I'm not letting you go alone." He said as he climbed up on Chet behind her, keeping a safe distance from her.

"You're the best, Benny!" She said happily.

"Yeah, yeah, let's just go before we get caught!" He said reluctantly.

Belle grinned, whipping the reins and Chet took off. Bernard screamed and hugged onto Belle for his dear life. Belle laughed as they went into the air, Bernard freaking out. They reached the Northern Lights and then they were through to the other side. Chet took them straight to her house with no real complications.

"You should probably let go now, Benny." Belle giggled, glancing back at him over her shoulder. Bernard frowned, prying his arms away from her and jumping off, practically swooping down to kiss the ground. He wasn't afraid of heights but riding on Chet? Lord have mercy.

"Where do you plan to go?" He asked as he straightened his outfit.

"I don't know. I don't even know what to get her." Belle said as she put Chet in the garage. She knew her grandparents were away on vacation.

"So you came with no plan? You know I have to get back to the North Pole soon!" He scolded.

Belle giggled, patting his shoulder, "Relax, Benny, everything will be fine. I have an idea of what to get her now." She said.

"You do? What is it?" He asked curiously.

"I don't know. I said it so you'd relax." She giggled.

"Didn't work." He stated flatly.

"Come on, big baby!" She said, grabbing his arm and pulling him along. But then she stopped. "Maybe you should change so you can fit in." She said, looking at his red and green outfit.

"What? But there are a lot of wannabe's out there pretending to be elves. I think I'm pretty much fitting in." He said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Those people... many others frown upon them. Trust me on that, Benny. Come on, I'm sure there's something you can wear in the house. She said, pulling him into the porch. She grabbed the secret spare key and opened the door, letting Bernard in. "This way, sir." She said, leading him up the stairs and into her grandparent's room. She opened a drawer, picking out a black turtleneck sweater that hugged the body, very toasty. She threw it at him and he caught it with his face, then it fell to the floor. She opened another drawer and pulled out a pair of jeans but she knew they would be too big on him. Bernard was skinny and her grandfather had quite a tummy.

"I don't know about the pants." She said, turning to face him. She fell silent as she watched him pull the sweater on. Her cheeks became hot as she stared at his abdomen. She wondered what this boy did to have an abdomen like that. Maybe the constant running around and bending over he does at work.

"Hellooo?" Bernard called, waving a hand in front of her face. Belle snapped out of it, her face red again. Bernard grinned but didn't comment anything. "What about those pants over there?" He asked, pointing at a pair of pants hanging out of a dusty suitcase.

"Oh, those used to be my cousins. He left them here last time he came years ago. They might fit." She said as she grabbed them, handing them to Bernard.

Bernard chuckled, "I let you watch the first time but now you have to exit the room." He teased as he gently pushed her out of the room. He chuckled again as he pulled his pants off and then pulled on the others. Perfect fit, just a little bit loose, wiggle room. They were blue but faded. He opened the door to Belle and pointed at his feet, "Elf shoes." He stated.

"No problem." She said, walking off. Bernard followed her and they entered a room with turquoise walls and white curtains. The wall panels were white. The bed frame was painted white, the sheets the same blue color as the walls. The covers had designs of snowflakes. Bernard smiled.

"Here." She said, handing him a pair of black converse.

"I don't think they'll fit-"

"They belonged to a friend of mine. He left him here once and never asked for them back. I'm sure they'll fit." She explained.

_Why was there another boy in your room other than me? That's unacceptable. Does your father know about this? What were you thinking, you can't trust men here, their vile creatures. Sickening. _He wanted to say but thought better of it. He just slipped the shoes on. "Their okay. A little tight but manageable. More comfortable than my shoes, that's for sure." He said, kicking his elf shoes.

"Great. Let's get going then." She said, dragging him all the way outside.

"Where do you plan to go?" He asked the same question of a few minutes ago.

"Window shopping, see if anything looks good enough." She said, going into the garage and unlocking the convertible car. She unlocked the door for Bernard and he climbed in. He had ridden in a car before but he still didn't like it. Belle turned the car on and drove down the driveway. "Seat belt." She said as she drove onto the street.

They arrived at the commercial streets in a matter of minutes. Belle parked the car in a nice parking space and they came out of the car. Bernard waited for her directions. Belle sighed, sort of missing this place. "This way." She said, walking onto a sidewalk that led to the clothing stores.

"That dress is nice. Why not that one?" He said, pointing at a mountain green dress on a mannequin.

"We just started and that dress is horrible." Belle said, pulling him along down the sidewalk.

"What does Mrs. Claus like, anyway?" He asked, looking into the different stores.

"Well, nice things. Like, pretty gowns or something with pearls or-"

"That?" Bernard asked as he stopped walking, standing in front of a fancy looking store. He pointed at a mannequin wearing a Christmas red gown that reached the floor. It had the classic white faux fur at the top border and at the ends of the long sleeves. It was a shoulderless dress. The mannequin wore a white hat, matching the white bands of the dress perfectly. Around her neck she had a choker-like necklace of pearls, just shinning in the lights.

"Bernard, that's perfect! She can wear it tonight!" She said excitedly.

"'kay." Bernard said, pulling a silk bag out from his sock. He unfolded it and then opened it. He glanced at Belle, who was staring at him curiously, and grinned at her. He whispered something into the bag and then reached in. He pulled out the dress. Belle's eyes threatened to pop out of her skull.

"How-!"

"Elf, remember?" He said simply, putting the dress back into the silk bag.

"What? Then why didn't you do this when we were back at the..." She looked around and then lowered her voice, "North Pole. It would have been a lot easier."

Bernard rolled his eyes. "We had no idea what to get her back there. We'd still be thinking of what to get. Here, we found what we needed, and I made it happen." He explained.

Belle blushed, feeling incredibly stupid. Bernard sighed, "Can we go-" He started to complain but something caught his eye all of a sudden. Belle noticed and turned in the direction he was looking. There was a girl on the other side of the street, staring right at them. She was short, brown curly hair that reached her shoulders and a shy smile on her lips.

Belle turned back to look at Bernard but he was still staring past her, now with a goofy smile on his face. Belle scowled, looking back toward the girl. She was playing with her hair now, batting her eyelashes and biting her pale lips. _What?!_ Belle shrieked in her mind. She turned back to Bernard. "Benny, I think we should leave now." She said. Bernard didn't seem to hear her. That pushed Belle closer to the edge. "Benny?" She asked worriedly, taking his hand in hers.

Bernard looked down at her, his smile fading, "Huh?" He said dumbly. He looked down at their hands and suddenly snapped back into reality. "Yeah, we should go." He said normally and grabbed her hand tighter, walking her back down the street. Belle smiled into her left shoulder, looking away from Bernard. She suddenly got excited.

"We don't have to go right back, Benny. Wanna go to-"

"No, I've already wasted..." He didn't liked the sound of that. He rephrased. "Well, not wasted, no time is ever wasted with you." He corrected, making her blush. Wow, he really liked that. "But I've spent too much time here already. There are still party preparations that have to be taken care of and in case you forgot, if Santa finds out we're gone, he'll let us have it." He explained.

Belle was too taken by what he said about spending time with her to argue. She just smiled, letting him pull her the rest of the way back.

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><p><em><strong>AN: Sorry about the long wait for the update, I could have sworn I updated it a while ago but I hadn't! Sorry it wasn't very good but I kind of last track of what I was going for. To be continued (:**_


	7. Frostbite

Jack took a deep breath and straightened out his blue white-tinged coat. He took another breath to calm the slight nerves and lifted his arm in front of the turquoise painted doors. He knocked gently and stepped back, waiting patiently.

The blue doors opened and his jaw almost literally dropped. "You look... beautiful." He nearly whispered as he admired the girl... the woman before him. Her bright red corset dress with the black leather belt around her thin waist and her pale shoulders bare with just a simple snowflake styled choker necklace, the diamonds shining under the light. Her long pale legs wearing long, black lace-up boots. Her blonde hair tied into an elaborate sideways french braid, the blue highlights intertwining in an elegant way. He even noticed her nails were painted black. She also carried a blue gift bag in her hand.

"Thank you, Jack. You look very handsome yourself." She said, looking him up and down. He wore a dark blue suit tinged with white coming from the ends of the arm sleeves and bottom of his pants and the collar of the jacket, looking like the frost that spreads on the windows in the morning. His face looked better too. He looked rested and younger. His clear blue eyes twinkled almost as much as his perfect smile. And his hair looked perfect as ever.

"I can assume you already know where we are headed." He said as he held his arm out so she could hook her arm with his.

She shut her door and walked out to hook her arm with his. She nodded, "My mother's birthday party." She said with a slight tone of question.

"Correct. I'm afraid you might upstage her there. You look magnificent, Belle." He said with a smile.

Belle looked away and blushed. She smiled behind her hand. Jack chuckled at her expense, it was so adorable. "Oh! Jack, I need to go find mom and give her something. If you want, you can go on ahead-"

"No, no, it's alright. I'll wait." He said with a smile.

Belle nodded and quickly made her way over to find her mother. She went to her room and heard her on the inside. She smiled and put the blue gift bag in front of her door. She knocked four times and quickly ran away, not being able to hold in her childish giggling. She hid around the corner.

The door to her mother's room opened. Carol poked her head out and looked down the hall both ways. She saw the present on the floor and grabbed it. She grabbed the tag and read it, "From: Belle and Bernard. Happy Birthday, Mrs. Claus." She smiled brightly and opened it. Her eyes widened as she pulled out the long dress. "Scott, look at this! It's beautiful!" She gushed before shutting the door of the room.

Belle grinned and walked away to meet Jack outside. He was patiently waiting there. She smiled, butterflies hitching up in her tummy. "Shall we?" Jack asked, offering his arm again.

"We shall." She said with a smile.

"Did she like it?" He asked, looking at her now empty hand.

Belle grinned again, "She said it was beautiful. It was a dress." She explained.

"Oh. In that case, I can't wait to see her. She's bound to wear it tonight." He said.

"I hope so." Belle admitted.

"I still don't think it's enough to outshine you though." He said, his voice a little over a whisper. Belle was shocked at his flattering words. She blushed Rudolph red and didn't know what to say. Her smile were enough words for him though.

There was a rather comfortable silence all the way to their destination. The place looked amazing. The Christmas lights of different colors, the banners and streamers, the balloons in arks and spirals, the confetti over the snow, the elegantly decorated chairs and tables, all draped in white silky cloths and roses. "Wow, they outdid themselves." Belle said in awe.

"It is amazing." Jack agreed even if he wouldn't normally admit Santa's minions did a good job.

Belle looked around, now noticing just how many people showed up to this party. Every elf had to be here right now, there were so many. She spotted someone that stood out though. She smiled, "There's dad!" She said excitedly. She let go of Jack's arm and quickly made her way over to him after signaling Jack to wait for a second.

Santa watched as his daughter speed walked over to him. He smiled, each day she seemed more beautiful. He thanked the heavens she got her mother's looks and not his. That would have been a disaster. Belle did love her blue eyes though, she thanked her father for that trait.

Santa was a bit skeptic about her dress, being so short. He knew she was already a smart young woman and that no one here would do her any harm but the more fatherly part of him made him bug out over these sorts of things. Maybe she should have worn a sweater too, cover up a bit. He shook the thought off as she pulled to a stop in front of him. He pulled her into a warm hug, shaking her small body playfully.

"Hey, dad." She sighed with a smile. "Mom getting ready?" She asked.

"You know it. She absolutely loved the dress you got her." He said, smiling at her, his cheeks all rosy.

"Dad, it was signed 'from Belle and Bernard'. I can't take all the credit here." She giggled, using a slightly sarcastic tone. "He actually picked the dress. I just sealed the deal. He's the one she should thank, really." She said as a thought. She hadn't really thought about it until now. She had to thank Bernard for helping her out. Who knows what would have happened if he weren't there. The dress was probably extremely expensive too.

"Well, either way, she loved it. I'm sure she's staring at herself in the mirror wearing it right now." He mocked.

Belle giggled but kept the conversation going, "There was a great turn-out here. Every elf has to be here." She said, looking out to the child looking elves that walked around and mingled.

"Not all of them." He said with a sigh. "Unfortunately some need to stay at work, make sure nothing goes wrong. We are just days away from Christmas after all." He said.

Belle's face saddened and her good mood swooped. Her eyebrows sowed themselves together and a small frown played upon her lips, "You don't mean?" She asked, sounding utterly disappointed.

Santa sighed, "He told me to tell you he was sorry and not to get mad at him, he just had to do it." He said, sounding reluctant to give her the message. "He also said to have fun without him, he'll try to make it later." He added, hoping to lighten her mood.

"Oh, that's okay. Well, I guess I'll see you around. Can't keep Jack waiting." She said, still sounding disappointed, as she backed away slowly to walk away.

"Wait. Frost?" Santa asked disbelievingly. "You're here with Frost?"

Belle stopped and gave him a confused and worried look. She wondered why he sounded so shocked about it. "Yeah. I told you yesterday that we were going to- Oh no, I told that to Bernard." She said, remembering their conversation from yesterday. She sighed, the memory of him making her miss him again.

"It's like a... date?" He asked curiously but unintentionally sounding suspicious or slightly disapproving.

"Well, I think it's safe to say. But it's a friendly date, don't worry." She giggled, teasing the man in the red suit.

Santa frowned as he looked around and spotted Jack standing in the middle of the elves that walked around and chatted their time away. He grabbed his daughter's shoulder, not taking his eyes off of Jack so he would lose him. "Hey, I think your mother is coming this way over there." He said, his voice a bit vacant. "Go meet with her, I'll be right back." He said before walking away quickly, not giving her time to protest or say she could see Carol anywhere.

Santa strode up to Jack and stopped a few feet away. He fixed him a strange look. Not even he, himself, was sure if it was angry, threatening, suspicious...

"Oh, hello, fat man." Jack said coolly, using his infamous nickname on him. He didn't truly enjoy calling him that, not liking to judge someone based solely on appearance but to just be able to see that scowl on his face was worth it.

"Jack." He acknowledged gruffly.

Jack looked around, slightly over acting it. "What a wonderful party you have going on here." He flatly complimented. "Was it hard to get so many elves to assist?" He asked mockingly though Santa didn't catch on to it.

"Actually, this turn-out is without any invitations or anything. They just know." He explained.

"_Right_." He said, figuring there would be no mocking him on that one. "So! Doesn't Belle look... pretty?" He said, correcting himself quickly before he said ravishing. He bit his tongue, wondering where the thought had come from.

Santa turned to look at both of the fairest women at the party. They both look absolutely beautiful, stunning even. He smiled, his heart warming. He scowled as he turned back to face Jack Frost. "I came here to tell you something, Frost." He said, getting to the point. "Rather, ask you something."

Jack raised an eyebrow and waited for him to speak. He hesitated so Jack figured he needed incentive, "Yes? What is it?" He asked curiously.

"Wh-"

"Why hello there, Mrs. Claus!" Jack greeted enthusiastically, walking past Santa and going over to Carol as she approached them with a wide grin. "You look wonderful tonight!" He complimented. "Belle was right, that dress was made for you!" He nearly gushed as he observed the elegant dress she wore. It did marvelous favors for her slender figure. Her blonde hair was tied up in a fancy looking do, some strands coming down in curls from the top and around her face. She wore long pearl earrings with a matching necklace.

Carol glanced over at Santa with a questioning look and a raised eyebrow. She smiled nicely at Jack, "Why thank you, Jack. I'm flattered." She said shyly, her cheeks turning light pink.

"Do not thank me for stating the truth, Mrs. Claus, it's silly." He chuckled.

Santa frowned and stepped up, standing between them. "Yeah, Carol, it's silly to thank him. So, how do you like the party?" He asked, turning her around.

Carol giggled, "They get better every year, sweetheart." She cooed, pecking him on the cheek. Santa blushed and smirked slightly. "Oh, is that an ice sculpture!?" She gushed, pointing at the shimmering figure on the long table where the food resided.

"That it is." Santa said proudly.

"Honey, you've outdone yourself!" She said, pulling him in for a tight hug. Santa squeezed her tightly with joy, he was so relieved she liked it. He glanced over at Jack who was grinning widely. Santa frowned, sometimes he could be so full of himself.

"Let's go take a closer look, shall we?" He suggested, holding out his arm for her to take. Carol grinned and hooked her arm with his, nearly towing him over to the table.

Jack reached out to get their attention, "Where's-..." but they had completely forgotten his presence, "...Belle?" He finished his sentence to himself and let his arm drop in defeat. He sighed, looking around for the pretty girl but she was nowhere in sight.

"Hey, Frost."

Jack was slightly startled and he turned his head to look over his shoulder. He grimaced, wondering what he wanted. He turned to give him full attention.

"Head elf." He acknowledged.

"It's Bernard." He corrected awkwardly.

Jack rolled his eyes, "Whatever." He mumbled. "Did you need something?" He asked, just wanting to rid himself of this pest.

Bernard held his hands behind his back and looked around, just giving him a shrug for a response. Jack cocked an eyebrow and shook his head, totally confused by his actions.

"Benny!"

Both men turned their heads in the direction of the voice, clearly female. Jack watched awkwardly as the figure nearly threw herself into the elves' arms. "There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you! I thought you wouldn't be able to make it." Belle said, finally letting him go, leaving him at arms length.

"But I did." He chirped, giving her a bright smile.

"What made you change your mind?" She asked curiously. He never gave up work for anything. Well, maybe her sometimes. She blushed at the thought.

"A little elf told me there was a very beautiful girl assisting the party. Like, an unbelievably stunning girl. I had to make sure it was true..." He said, his voice low so only she could hear.

Belle blushed a deep red and giggled, looking away from him with a grin on her face. "You don't say? Have you found her?" She teased.

Bernard sighed dramatically and looked around for something, "Yes but she's here with another man." He whispered, glancing down at her from the corner of his eyes. She was frowning at him. He smiled, he just loved teasing her.

"Benny..." She said in a scolding manner.

"Ahem."

Bernard and Belle pulled away from each other and turned to face Jack, both with blushes on their faces. Belle had all of her words caught in her throat for some reason. "I-I..."

"I'm parched. I'm gonna go get something to drink. I'll see you around, Belle." Bernard said flatly before walking away, leaving the two.

"Hm, I didn't think he'd make it." Jack said moments later. He turned next to Belle and casually put his arm over her bare shoulders, leading her forward toward the ice sculpture.

"Wow." Belle said in awe as she stared up at the large ice statue. It was perfect. It was a snow globe. It was perfectly round with frozen pieces inside, looking like immobile snow. Inside at the base was a model of Christmastown. "This is amazing. It must have taken a lot of work."

"Surprisingly not. The model isn't ice, all that was done was the exterior. Making it round was slightly difficult, ice is very fragile." Jack said, admiring the piece. It looked more magnificent with the lights shining against it in different colors.

Belle's eyes widened. How hadn't she noticed? "Jack, you made this?" She asked dumbly. Of course he did! Who else?

He nodded, "I did. Do you like it?" He asked, glancing at her.

"It's beautiful!" She gushed. The fact that he made it made the piece that more impressive.

"And heavy." He added with a chuckle.

Belle made a face, taking a step back and looking at the size of it. "It must be." She mumbled.

"So, are you hungry?" Jack asked.

Belle thought about for a second, glancing down at the food on the table. Nothing looked appetizing and she frowned, "Not really." She said, picking up a bite-sized cookie and popping it in her mouth. "Are you?"

Jack chuckled and shook his head. "What do you wish to do?" He asked politely.

"I really don't know. I don't know anyone here." She said, looking around. Not one elf was sitting alone. Not one.

Jack sighed, "There's no need to be shy. Everyone here is very nice. They love you, you know that." He said. He didn't want to admit that.

Belle sighed more audibly than he did, "I know but it's not the same. To the I'm just Santa's daughter. It's almost in their nature to like me automatically." She admitted sheepishly.

"Aw, I'm sure they like you for you too." He said, trying to console her. He pouted and pulled her into a soft hug which she accepted almost immediately.

"Thanks, Jack, but I doubt it. I don't think I'd really fit in anyway." She said. "I think it's better off the way it is. I like it like this." She said with a little smile. He new she meant it but he didn't know why. Doesn't she want to be liked by them? The elves like everyone. Well... he's an exception. He smirked at the thought.

"What's so funny?" She asked, looking at him curiously.

Jack noticed he was smiling like an idiot and quickly recomposed himself. He cleared his throat, "Nothing." He looked around, "Honestly, there's nothing you would like to do?" He asked.

Belle hummed as she looked around in thought. Her eyes landed on her best friend. He was talking to an elf that barely reached his chest. He was laughing as she talked to him about something. Her hair was very long, just like Judy's, only her's came down in waves. She looked angelic. Belle smiled but her eyebrows furrowed.

Jack noticed her expression and followed her gaze. He smirked mischievously, "Oh look, it's Neve!" He said, sounding overjoyed to see her.

"Neve?" Belle voiced, walking up to stand next to Jack.

"I hadn't seen her in so long." He stated.

"I'd never seen her here before." Belle said, a bit to herself.

"Hm? Oh, she's been busy lately." He said randomly.

"Who is she?" Belle asked.

"Neve is the nicest little elf you'll ever meet, next to little Judy. Those girls have the biggest of hearts. Neve's smile can light up an entire room on a bad day." He said with a happy sigh. He glanced over at Belle who was still staring over at the two.

"Seems like that." She said bitterly as Bernard continued to share laughs with Neve. "Let's go, it's getting stuffy here." She said before taking Jack's arm and towing him away in the other direction.

Jack smirked and caught up to her pace. She was pulling him further away from the party which since they arrived, he considered to be far too crowded.

"Are you alright?" He asked. "You seem upset all of a sudden." He said, knowing already she was upset. Honestly he hadn't a clue what Neve was like. He wasn't even sure that was her name. He knew it sounded right though.

"I'm fine." She said quietly, leading him on the way.

"Are you certain-"

"I'm fine, Jack." She snapped but not rudely. He sighed, deciding to leave it at that.

"Where are you taking me?" He asked with a chuckle.

Belle slowed her pace to look around. She hadn't noticed where exactly she was going and in only a couple of minutes they had gotten far. She sighed, knowing where her subconscious wanted to be. "Can you skate, Mr. Frost?"

"Skate? Do you mean ice skate?" He asked, slightly confused. She nodded. He chuckled, "I invented ice skating, dear." He said proudly.

"Good." She said, coming to a stop at the clearing's entrance. She grabbed the ice skates that hung from the tree branch. She sighed, her thoughts drifting off to Bernard. They were his skates. She forced a smile and turned to face Jack, handing them to him. "Put them on, they should fit."

She grabbed her own skates and slipped them on easily, having done it so many other times. She stepped out into the ice and started to skate gracefully.

"I don't believe they will fit, Belle." He said, pulling off the skate that would not budge. "That's fine." He said, taking off his other shoe and stepping out on the ice barefoot.

Belle's eyes widened in shock. It was no real surprise but at the moment she hadn't expected it. How amazing it should be to be able to do that. Jack slid his feet like you would with skates and came to her, grabbing her hands in his. "Not too cold?" He asked sheepishly, giving her hands a squeeze.

_Freezing..._ "Not at all." She said with a small smile. Jack grinned and gently tugged her to move with him. A few tugs here, a few spins there and in no time they were moving in perfect sync, almost like they were dancing.

Belle laughed joyfully as Jack spun her around like a ballerina. He pushed away from her, holding their hands together and then pulled her in. She spun toward him until she bumped into his side and he wrapped and arm around her waist while still holding her hand in his. She looked at him and their eyes locked for a moment. She smiled and bit her lip, a blush creeping up her neck up to her cheeks.

Jack chuckled and pulled her outward, letting her go in the end and she kept spinning. He watched, not being able to take his eyes off of her and the way her short dress spun with her... He blushed a deep purple and pried his eyes away, looking at the scratched ice under his feet.

"Are you alright?" She asked worriedly when she stopped spinning to look at him. She skated toward him and he tried to look away. His face was in a scowl and his cheeks were a tinge of purple. His brow was sweating. "Jack, do you feel sick?"

"I feel fine, Belle." He said, slowly starting to recompose his flustered self. "Belle, your hands." He said worriedly, taking her hands in his to look at her palms. They were red and chapped. She was beginning to get frostbite. "Oh dear, how stupid of me!" He said, releasing her hands as if she had pinched him. "I'm terribly sorry!" He said frantically.

"It's alright, Jack." She said softly. She glanced down at her ill looking hands and they trembled furiously and they burned.

"It's not alright, Belle. You should have told me- I should have known!" He said angrily.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"No, don't apologize, it's not your fault, Belle. Here." He said, removing his scarf and wrapping them gently around her hands. He scowled when he felt the trembling. He truly felt terrible about it, he should have known she'd get frostbite for touching him! But he got so lost in the moment and she not once complained.

"Why didn't you say anything, Belle?" He almost whispered. He craned his neck to take a look at her face. She was blushing and clearly didn't want to answer his question. He almost smiled, taking her silence as a compliment. "Frostbite is very painful, love. Any longer and you could have lost your hands!" He scolded.

"Oh, Jack, don't exaggerate! I promise, I'm fine. It just stings a little." She admitted. "It's not your fault either, please calm down." She pleaded, leaning closer to him.

Jack pulled his head back just a bit and he looked down at her with a frown, not wanting to calm down about it. He had hurt her and he felt terrible about it.

"I'm so sorry I hurt you, Belle. I wasn't thinking, I was having so much fun and-"

"That's all that matters." She finished for him. "It was an accident, Jack. It doesn't even hurt so much now." She said, giving him a warm smile to reassure him. Truth was, the burning sensation was still there, she barely wanted to move her hands but poor Jack would beat himself up if he knew.

"I-"

"Please just drop it, Jack. It'll make me feel a whole lot better if you did." She said, her eyes pleading.

Jack frowned but nodded. He wanted her to feel better. "I'm so sorry." He whispered and pulled her into a tight but gentle hug. He closed his eyes and rested his chin on her head, letting out a sigh.

Belle nuzzled her face into his shoulder and hugged him around the waist. She inhaled deeply, enjoying his minty scent. She smiled. His skin could be below zero but his hugs were always warm somehow. Jack sighed and pulled away before he got too cold for her to handle again. He held her at arms length and smiled halfheartedly. "We should probably head back to the party. Don't want your dad to start worrying."

Belle looked up at the sky. It was darker now than it was when they arrived. She wondered just how long they had been gone. She sighed and finally nodded, skating out to the snow. She pulled off her skates and hung them back on the branch, then pulled her boots back on. Jack followed and simply pulled his shoes back on. "Shall we?" He said, offering her his arm. She smiled and hooked her arm with his, letting him lead the way. She laid her head on his shoulder and enjoyed the silence they shared.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: So sorry for the long wait! Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon! I'm sorry if this chapter wasn't any good, it's been a while. Thank you all for sticking by so long and being patient! I tried to fit more of Jack into this chapter, some people were begging for it so there you have it :) The night isn't over yet, guys, stick around and find out what happens next!**_

_**Please review, I love those things! They're so very inspiring! Love you guys! :'D**_


	8. The Grinch

Belle's ears perked up to the familiar sound coming from the center of the town. Her eyes widened and she pulled her head off of Jack's shoulder to listen better.

_Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you..._

She gasped, "They're singing Happy Birthday, Jack, come on!" She said, taking his wrist and dragging him after her. "Hurry!" She called to him.

Jack had a hard time keeping his feet under him, she was going too fast and pulling too hard for him to keep up. "Belle, slow down! I'm not as young as I used to be!" He called out, tripping over his own feet and stumbling.

Belle came to a stop when she reached the crowd. She squeaked when Jack ran into her back, making her bump into another elf in front of her. "So sorry!" She whispered to the elf who simply smiled and turned back to continue singing.

Jack pulled away from Belle quickly, trying to catch his breath and recompose himself. He wasn't used to running like that. What was so important about singing this song anyway? They missed it in the end.

Belle managed to get in on the last verse of the song. She sighed, catching her breath from the brief run. She watched happily as her mother leaned over and blew out the candles on the cake, her eyes closed, making her birthday wish. Belle grinned and walked through the elven crowd to reach her parents. She giggled and pulled her mother into a tight hug, "Happy Birthday, mom. I love you." She whispered.

Carol smiled happily, "I love you too, sugarplum. I love the dress, really. It's gorgeous, everyone loves it." She said, hugging Belle even tighter.

Belle giggled, "Berna-" She stopped her statement as she remembered the moment she last saw Bernard... with that elf Neve. "I'm glad you like it so much." She said instead, giving her mom a smile.

Carol scowled, putting a hand on her daughter's shoulder, "What's wrong, baby?" She asked knowingly. Belle giggled and held her mother's hand, "Nothing, mother. I'm fine. Don't worry about anything today, it's your birthday."

"That doesn't mean I'm not your mother. I know something is wrong, please tell me." She said sadly, with a small pout on her glossy lips.

"Everything okay, ladies?" Santa asked as he walked up behind Carol.

"Everything's fine, dad. Mom is just anxious to open her presents!" Belle said with a mischievous grin.

Santa's eyes lit up and he grinned from ear to ear, "Well let's get to it! That's always the best part!" He said, dragging Carol away from Belle. Carol tried to protest and get back to her daughter but Santa would have none of it.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"

Belle gasped as she was startled. She turned around to see Jack standing there with his hands held behind his back and he leaned forward toward her with prying and curious eyes. Belle giggled and shook her head, "I'm seriously fine. If anyone else asks me, then we'll have a problem!" She joked, faking a mad expression on her face.

"Oh, well, let me warn everyone not to ask you what is wrong." He joked but sounded very serious about it. Belle furrowed her eyebrows, looking puzzled. He chuckled at her and her expression softened, reassured that he was merely teasing her.

There was an awkward silence after that. Belle looked away from him and started looking around at nothing, her lips pressed together in a thin line and she swayed from side to side. Jack cleared his throat, "May I confide in you?" He asked.

That certainly got Belle's attention right away since she was staring at him curiously, "Of course, Jack." She said reassuringly.

He chuckled, "I don't really know what is to be done at a birthday party. I've never really attended one before." He said sheepishly.

Belle was a bit shocked by this. He seemed like he'd be great fun at parties. "Really?" She voiced her shock. He nodded with a slight chuckle. Belle looked around. There were elves in small groups everywhere, talking and laughing, sharing beverages and dancing to the holiday music that softly played in the background. Her parents were by the present table, talking to each other happily. She scowled, realizing she also didn't know what to do here. "To tell you the truth, Jack, I don't know what to do either. I... don't really know anyone." She admitted, searching for any familiar faces on speaking terms.

"Don't feel bad. No one here even likes me. I am Jack Frost after all." He said, referring to the stories she had told him about when they first met. He didn't exactly know how he managed to remember that detail, he rarely bothered to remember anything.

Belle giggled, "Don't be silly, Jack. I'm sure someone here must find you pleasant." She said, trying to encourage him.

Jack chuckled and shook his head, "No, I don't believe so. But that's okay, I don't particularly like the little people anyway." He said with a shrug. His statement earned him a cold look from Belle. She looked appalled and surprised. "They're not my kind of crowd." He added flatly. He wasn't going to lie about disliking the elves. He does. He didn't find it necessary to hide that. "It's a mutual thing. We're all happy like that."

Belle grimaced at his words. How could he say such mean things about the elves? What's not to like about the elves? Then again, Jack was very different than anyone else she'd ever met. He thought and acted differently. It shouldn't surprise her that he isn't fond of the joy-filled elves that seemed to have few emotions. One of them, the most common, happiness. They were always happy and so very nice to everyone. She found that to be odd but comforting at the same time. She could understand Jack and his reasons to say the things he did.

"Can we get out of here? Seems to be getting even more crowded." Jack spoke up. Belle returned to reality, not having realized she got lost in thought. She watched as a considerably large group of elves walked through, going in between them. They were all laughing and talking rather loudly. Someone has been passing around the eggnog.

"I think that would be a splendid idea, Jack." She said as the last of the elves passed with a small "excuse me".

Jack smiled and she couldn't help but smile back. That smile somehow lifted the slight cloud that had formed over her head without her really noticing. He held his arm out for her and she gladly took it. "Where to, my lady?" He asked as he started walking.

"My place is right down the street. Over there." She said, pointing at her rooms with the turquoise painted doors.

Jack only thought about it for a second but he didn't really have any reasons for why he wouldn't be able to go to her rooms. "As you wish." He said, bowing his head and leading her by the arm gently.

"I wonder what time it is." Belle wondered aloud.

Jack tilted his head to look at the sky. He hummed in thought, "Nine o'clock, give or take. Perhaps nine thirty." He said.

Belle looked at him in wonder, "How do you know?" She asked, looking up at the sky to see nothing but the navy blue sky adorned with dark clouds.

"The lighting. The position of the sun. The Northern Lights." He stated, looking back up at the bright rainbow of colors floating in the sky. He smiled, almost looking sad.

Belle kept her eyes on the swirling lights in the sky but nodded her head so he knew she had heard him. She didn't quite understand how he did it but decided to leave it at that. "It's gotten late pretty quickly, hasn't it?" She stated.

Jack shrugged, not really keeping track of time. "Time is just an illusion, love. There is no later. There is only now. There will always just be now, never a later." He said absentmindedly.

Belle was intrigued by his words. She cocked her head to the side curiously, "What do you mean?" She asked, the interest apparent in her voice.

"There is simply not a later. It will always be now. For example, if you say I'm going to get a snack later, by the time you are there, what time will it be?" He asked her to see if she was keeping up. She remained silent, looking confused. "Now." He answered. "Okay, say you are going to the living room later. When you finally are in the living room it will not be later. It will be now. The moment you are living in. Time is just an illusion. A reference point that was made merely to keep track of things." He explained to her. "Do you understand?" He asked.

Belle was silent as she thought about his words. She had never thought about it that way and it made perfect sense in a way. It was deep and inspiring. It would always be now. That really changes ones point of view on things, even if just a little bit.

"I do." She finally said. She smiled and leaned into his side, hugging his arm, her head laying on his shoulder. "Thank you for sharing that with me." She said softly.

Jack smiled, "No problem. Thank you for listening." He couldn't wipe the smile off of his face. She was so sweet. He sighed, pushing the thoughts aside, "Here we are." He said, coming to a stop in front of her doors.

Belle let go of his arm and went to open her doors. She stepped inside then aside to let him in. The place was dark, just the moonlight shining in through the curtained windows, giving the place a pleasant glow.

"Would you like anything to drink? Some snacks?" She asked.

Jack shook his head, "No, thank you. I'm good." He said as he absentmindedly hung his scarf on the coat rack.

"Alrighty then. Have a seat, make yourself at home." She said with a smile, sitting in the loveseat, patting the space next to her.

Jack gave an awkward smile, hesitantly moving to sit beside her, placing himself as far from the young woman as he could. He didn't know if she was aware of what a setting like this would do to people. The cold air that would make you seek warmth, the dim light from the moon making a romantic glow, the closeness of the two people... He shook his head, clearing his thoughts.

"Are you alright?" Belle asked after a minute of his silence.

"Yes. Forgive me, I got lost in my thoughts for a moment. What was it that you were saying?" He asked sheepishly.

"I was talking about how close Christmas is now. Right around the corner." She said.

"Ah, yes- What?" He asked suddenly alarmed.

"Yes, tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Jack, are you alright?" She asked worriedly as she got up after Jack jumped to his feet.

"I think I should be going now." He said hurriedly, running into the coffee table and stumbling.

"Careful! Jack, what's going on? What's gotten into you?" Belle asked, now very alarmed by his sudden change in mood. She grabbed his wrists and stopped his movement, making him look at her.

Jack froze, trying to calm down. He looked down into her eyes that were darting around, scanning his features. Her eyes were full of worry and uneasiness. He slightly furrowed his eyebrows, thinking he could see a bit of disappointment in her sparkling eyes.

"Do you really have to leave so soon, Jack?" Belle nearly whispered, staring deep into his blue eyes.

"I have... some things I need to attend to." He said absentmindedly. He found himself getting lost in her twinkling eyes.

"Oh..." She said, utterly disappointed. She let go of his wrists and stepped back with her head held low, hiding her sad eyes from him. She didn't want him to go, she enjoyed his company greatly. "I guess this is goodnight then-"

"I can stay a while longer." He blurted out. Belle lifted her head and smiled, her eyes lighting up. Jack cleared his throat, "If you want me to." He added nervously.

"That would be lovely, Mr. Frost. I rather enjoy your company." She said, teasing his way of speaking. Quite frankly, she loved it. It was oh-so... she didn't know how to describe it. She just knew she loved to hear him talk about anything.

"As do I." He said with a chuckle.

"I'd like to show you something." Belle said out of the blue with a small smile. Jack gave her a confused look which slowly molded into curiosity. "Come with me." She chirped, taking his hand and pulling him down the hall.

_Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no..._ Jack mentally panicked as the young woman pulled him into her room.

Belle released his hand and turned to face him with a grin, "Okay, now close your eyes!" She chirped, putting her hand over his eyes. "Are they closed?" She asked with a giggle.

Jack couldn't help but chuckle at her antics, "Yes, they're closed." He assured.

"No cheating!" She warned.

"May I inquire as to what will happen if I do cheat?" He teased.

"I won't show you!" She replied as she went to fetch what she wanted to show him.

"But if I cheat, I'd already have seen it." He said with a grin.

"You wouldn't cheat, would you?" She teased.

"Ah, there are many sides of me you don't know, Miss Belle." He said with a chuckle that quickly faded as a thought gnawed at him in the back of his head. _There's one side I hope you never meet..._ He thought shamefully.

"Well, hopefully I'll get to know them." She said with a giggle. "Okay, open your eyes!" She said excitedly.

Jack did as he was told and opened his eyes. He looked down at Belle curiously. She held something behind her back but he found something else more interesting than that. The bright red blush on her cheeks.

"Are you going to show me or will I have to take it from you?" He said mischievously.

"It's a bit embarrassing, is all. I made it one morning when I had nothing better to do, I hope you don't mind." She said, her blush growing and she bit her lip.

"The curiosity is killing me, Belle. Please show me." He said with a pout.

Belle hid her face and hesitantly pulled out the object from behind her back. Jack observed carefully. He recognized it as a picture frame. Belle gnawed at her bottom lip as she hid her eyes behind her bangs and pressed the frame against her chest, hugging it securely.

"This is so embarrassing." She said with a sheepish giggle.

"Belle." Jack cooed, trying to encourage her.

Belle sucked up a breath and held it out for him, nearly shoving it into his chest. Jack took the frame eagerly and turned it to look at the picture. He was shocked speechless. His eyes wide and his mouth agape.

In his hands was a frame holding a drawing. No, a sketch. A sketch of him. He was with a woman under a streetlight, dancing. He held her close. He was the one facing out to the viewer whereas the woman faced the other way. His expression was happy, his eyes closed and a small smile on his lips. He hadn't a doubt that the woman he held was Belle. The hair, her height, the clothes. The same clothes Belle was wearing when they met.

"It's us. The day we met, I asked you for a dance." He stated in awe. He glanced over at Belle who was blushing like mad. He could understand how this may be embarrassing to her. He chuckled, "It's amazing." He said.

Belle looked up at him in shock, "Really? Not pathetic?" She blurted out.

"Pathetic? Why on earth would it be pathetic?" He asked, bewildered she'd say that.

"I suppose that's the wrong choice of words..." She said, utterly embarrassed.

"To say the least." He agreed. "Belle, this is incredible. You have a beautiful talent." He said, once again gazing into the image. He could practically see them moving, there was so much precise detail.

"Thank you." She breathed, absolutely relieved her liked it. "It- You can have it if you'd like." She said with a smile.

"I'd love to." He said, returning her smile. "Thank you." He whispered, pulling her into a hug. Belle's eyes widened, surprised he'd hug her. It took her a moment to respond and hug him back. On the other side, Jack's eyes were wide, his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes darting around, wondering what possessed him to hug her so suddenly.

"You're welcome." She said softly.

Jack cleared his throat and casually pulled away, giving her a sheepish smile afterward. The silence quickly became awkward and difficult to fill.

"That's a very pretty picture." Jack spoke up. Belle looked at him and then in the direction he was staring. He walked past her, further into the room. He stopped at the night table and picked up a picture so he could have a better look. "Who is that adorable creature?" He asked with a chuckle.

Belle walked up behind him and got on the tip of her toes to look over his shoulder. She smirked mischievously, "That's me." She said.

Jack was surprised at her answer. He couldn't help but laugh, "I recognized you alright. I meant the other creature. The four-legged one." He said, his laughter subduing.

"That's Harley. She's my pup. A collie mix." She said happily.

"She's very cute." He said with a chuckle as he put the picture down. He turned around to face her and almost gasped at realizing how close she was standing to him. Their chests practically touched. He swallowed hard and bypassed her to avoid his gaze dropping.

"You should meet her some day. She loves people. She tends to be shy at first though." Belle stated. Jack was glad she was oblivious to what just happened.

Belle suggested he'd meet her puppy spontaneously in hopes that it would dissolve the awkwardness of their sudden closeness. She still hadn't turned to face him, she didn't want him to see the massive blush crawling up to her cheeks. Her stomach twisted into knots and she swallowed hard.

"I'd love to meet her some time." He said simply.

"I'm gonna get some water. Would you like some?" She said hastily, her throat feeling dry suddenly.

"Yes please." Jack answered quickly.

Belle nodded and walked out of the room and into the kitchen with Jack close behind. She served the two glasses and gave him one. She took a sip and he downed the whole thing in one go.

"Would you like some more?" Belle asked, slightly bewildered.

"If you would be so kind." He said, a little out of breath.

Belle refilled his cup and this time he only took a sip. He sighed in relief and caught his breath. "You okay?" She asked, noticing his face looked strange.

"Fine." He answered, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Come on, let's sit down." She said. She felt weak at the knees when he smiled at her so she could use a seat. She took a seat at the loveseat and he sat beside her, again, almost pressed up against the arm rest, as far from her as possible.

"Isn't it exciting? Christmas is right around the corner! Tomorrow we put up the tree in dad's office." Belle gushed, lightening the mood.

Jack tried to smile but his lips just pressed together. He nodded, "Oh yes, very exciting. Can't wait." He said. He couldn't tell if he sounded sarcastic like he intended or nervous. There was a short silence before he spoke up again, "Say, Belle, what do you think about... The Grinch?" He asked out of the blue.

"The Grinch? Who stole Christmas?" She asked, just to make sure they were on the same page. Jack nodded. "I love the movie, it's great." She beamed.

"What do you think about him?" He asked curiously.

"Well... I've always liked him."

"But he wanted to ruin Christmas." Jack pointed out.

"Yeah, at first. But in the end, he makes it the best Christmas anyone has ever had." She countered.

"And if he hadn't? If he'd ruined it?" He asked.

"Well-"

"What if you meet someone a lot like him? Cold-hearted and out to take Christmas? Would you hate him?"

"Well... I'd try to put myself in his shoes. Try and see his reasons."

"Alright, alright." He said with hope, "His reasons are selfish but good ones nonetheless... at least for him." He added.

"Well, Jack. I don't know. I wouldn't like that he's trying to steal Christmas for his own selfish reasons." She said. "Why would anyone want to steal Christmas?"

"Well... jealousy?" He admitted to himself but suggested to her.

"Well, being Santa Claus is great and can be envied but... I just can't imagine anyone actually trying to take it from Santa." She said.

"Well, lets just say that- umm- crazy example; that _I _wanted to steal Christmas. What would you tell me?" He asked, sounding perfectly casual.

"Well first I'd ask; Why?" She said as if it was obvious.

"Well, let's just say that I think it'd be cool to have my own holiday." He said as if it were nothing.

Belle laughed at that. "Well considering it's you, I'd say that's ridiculous! You wouldn't do such a thing!" She kept laughing.

Jack forced a laugh, "Let's just say I would!" He said, slightly raising his voice. He cleared his throat when she stopped laughing.

"Well... I would tell you it's ridiculous, Jack. Why would you want your own holiday?"

"Why wouldn't I want a holiday held in my honor? Everyone loves the Council of Legendary Figures! Mother Nature, Sandman, Easter Bunny, Cupid, Tooth Fairy... Why wouldn't a guy want to be a part of that?" He explained.

Belle thought about it and she would agree at first hand but she was past that. She looked into Jack's eyes seriously, "Why would you want to steal someones holiday? Wouldn't you much rather be something greater than that? Do something incredible and rightfully earn the title of a true legend and feel proud of it? Legends are made by people who do outstanding things. Things people will always remembered and they will honor them. Wouldn't that be great?" She said with great emotion.

Jack was dumbstruck. He had never thought of that. It made a lot more sense than stealing Christmas did. Could quite possibly even be easier if not fulfilling. And perhaps then, at least people would not hate him. At least she wouldn't hate him. All if this was too overwhelming for Jack, he was beginning to develop a headache.

"It's getting late. I should get going." Jack said, almost mumbled, still feeling dumbstruck by Belle's wise words. "Thank you for having me, Belle, I had a great time tonight." He said, getting up and walking to the door.

Belle followed him, pulling his scarf off the coat rack and handing it to him. "It was my pleasure. I had a great night too." She said with a smile which Jack returned.

Jack opened the door and breathed in the cold winter air. He looked back at Belle and was slightly awestruck. The moonlight that came in shone on her face, making her a sight to see. Intensified her natural beauty.

"You really are something else, Belle." He said softly, giving her a soft and warm smile that almost made Belle sway. "Goodnight." He then said, tucking the gift she gave him under his arm and then walking out and away.

Belle watched him go, biting her lip and blushing. _You really are something else, Belle..._ his voice echoed in her head. She shut the door and leaned against it, squealing into her closed mouth with her eyes shut, a grin plastered on her face.

"He's something else." Belle mumbled happily before sighing tiredly. She decided it was time to call it a night.

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><p><em><strong>AN: Hope you all liked this chapter! It's for all you on Team Frost! Don't worry, Team Benny, you'll have your chapters! Who should get the girl? Vote in a review on each chapter! Can't decide who? Don't worry, I can't either! :D**_

_**Review guys! And thanks so much for the support! Also, forgive and grammatical errors! :/**_


	9. Tree Topper

_**A/N: Enjoy! :)**_

* * *

><p>"Alright, this is it!" Santa said with a grin on his face, wrenching his hands together as he stepped back to admire his teams work. "Looks great, everyone. Best one we've had yet!" He gushed, turning to face his personal little team all gathered around the large fireplace. His beautiful wife Carol, his friendly elf Curtis, his head elf Bernard, his least favorite person Jack Frost.<p>

They all smiled, turning to face this year's Christmas tree. It stood straight and tall adorned in turquoise and purple tinsel going around it. Of course Carol chose this year's decorations. The ornaments all placed strategically, the colors all fanned out nicely, not too cluttered. This year they chose colorful lights. Santa smiled, knowing a certain someone would love those lights flashing brightly. Jack Frost even helped, flocking the tree to give it that nice snowy look.

"Just one more thing." Santa breathed, looking into his cup of hot cocoa. Carol scowled, knowing he was extremely impatient by now. She walked over to him and gave his arm a reassuring squeeze, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Don't worry, she'll be here any second." She whispered to him, glancing over at the double doors.

Santa sighed, looking away from his cup and around the room. He looked back to the large Santa head shaped fireplace and sighed. He wondered why the tree topper hadn't arrived yet.

"I can go look for her if you'd like." Jack Frost suggested from his place at the back of the group. Santa turned to face him, a thoughtful look on his face. He was about to accept his offer when Bernard stepped in his line of sight, giving him a forced smile.

"I'll go. I have to get something anyway." He said before turning on his heels and walking out, making sure to give Jack a cold look before exiting. Jack raised an eyebrow and smirked. He loved upsetting the sassy elf man.

Bernard sighed when he shut the doors behind him, rolling his eyes at the thought of Jack Frost. He pushed the thoughts of him aside and began to wonder where his best friend could be. She was never late for the tree topper. He sighed when he exited the building, looking over all of the bustling elves going back and forth. Where could she be? He decided her room would be a good place to start looking.

"Belle?" He called out as he knocked on her door. "You in there?" He asked, pressing his ear up against the door. He couldn't hear a thing. He scowled and went around to look through the frosted window. The living room was empty, there was no one in the kitchen and there was no one at the table. He continued on to the next window. "Oh…" He mumbled when he found Belle curled up in her bed, sleeping soundly.

Bernard went back to the front door and tried the knob. He was thankful it was unlocked. As he walked in, he considered lecturing her about leaving her door unlocked but figured it was counterproductive. One, there were no threats in Christmastown and two, he is the one who walked in. He sighed and quietly made his way into her room.

"Belle?" He called out gently, waiting by the door. He knocked on the door quietly, hoping she would wake up. But she didn't. He knew she wouldn't. He's known her forever, he knew she was a heavy sleeper when she wanted to be. He rolled his eyes, unable to hide the small smile on his lips. He walked up to her bed and poked her arm. "Belle." He said firmly.

"What?" Came her sleepy response. Bernard rolled his eyes. She probably hasn't even acknowledged who was there with her.

"Wake up." He ordered, pulling her sheets down to her ankles.

"Hm? What?" She groaned tiredly. Belle grimaced, forcing an eye open for a second but it immediately shut. "Bernard?" She asked, her brain suddenly registering the sound of the voice.

"Yeah, good morning." He said with a bored tone. "Get up. You're late for the tree topper." He said, grabbing her arm and pulling her upright. Belle's head bobbled around as she was still half asleep. Bernard chuckled. "Get up!" He laughed as Belle groaned and whimpered.

Belle threw her head back and groaned, feeling so tired. She found herself restless last night after Jack had left. She couldn't sleep so she cleaned the house and decorated it. She fell into bed almost at two in the morning. Today the weight of yesterday's events crashed on her. She didn't want to get up.

"Bernard, do I have to?" She whined. She gasped when Bernard released her and she fell back against the bed. She peeked through an eye to look at Bernard. She couldn't help but grin at the sight of him, even if he looked awfully irritated.

"Of course you do, Belle! Everyone is waiting for you to place the tree topper!" He exclaimed exasperatedly.

Belle sighed, knowing she would have to go. But not just yet. "Just five more minutes." She whispered, now opening her eyes just a bit to give him a pleading look. Bernard just sighed, knowing she would take five more minutes despite anything he said. "Come on." She chirped, patting a space beside her.

Bernard tensed, feeling his face get hot. Why would she suggest he lay with her? That's a tad out of place, he thought nervously. Since when does Belle share a bed with guys? Granted, he isn't a 'guy', he is her best friend, but still… He scowled, looking down at her. He could see her in long, baggy pajama pants with fluffy colorful socks on her feet, a large matching long sleeved button up pajama top and her hair tied in pigtails. The sight of her, just a memory, when she was no more than ten years old. He loved her then as much as he does now. He thought she was so adorable then. Now, he felt differently. Now as he looked at her in short black pajama pants, a red spaghetti strap top, her hair loose and all over the bed. All that remained were the long colorful socks, fluffy as ever.

"Benny…" She moaned, sighing heavily. Bernard's heart started to race in his reverie. He forgets just how much she has changed. How much she's grown up. She wasn't a small innocent child anymore. She knew much more than she did back then. She acted differently. She used to punch his shoulder and laugh. Now she hooks her arm with his, laying her head on his shoulder. She used to stick her tongue out at him. Now she kissed his cheek. She used to call him names. Now she called him Benny. A nickname he could not stand to be called. Only Belle was allowed to.

Bernard considered it now, lying beside her. After all, he just came to terms that she was not a kid anymore. It was different now. "Five minutes." He mumbled, carefully crawling into her bed beside her.

Belle's eyes opened when he laid beside her and she turned her head to face him. She smiled at him as he stared straight up to the ceiling. She could see when he swallowed heavily and how he fiddled with his hands on his belly. She blushed and tried not to giggle at his actions. She loved how he still cared for her like a little kid, how he thought lying beside her in the same bed was morally wrong even though, even if they were little kids, it was perfectly fine. She loved how he was so nervous in these situations when it's perfectly normal. She wondered what went through his mind at times like these.

"What's wrong?" She finally asked. She had enough of wondering what he thought at moments like these. She was too curious. "What has you so jittery?" She asked, propping her head up on her hand to be able to look at him better.

Bernard looked at her with slightly widened eyes, his jaw clenched tightly. "Nothing." He said casually, shrugging. Belle gave him a look. The look she gave him whenever she didn't believe him. "I'm serious." He chuckled, hoping to reassure her.

Belle scowled at him, narrowing her eyes at him. "You know you can't lie to me, Benny." She said seriously.

Bernard sighed, sitting up and leaning on his arm, facing her. "I'm not lying to you, Belle." He said seriously. "There's nothing _wrong_." He explained.

"Exactly. Then why are you acting so weird?" She asked curiously.

Bernard rolled his eyes, cracking a goofy flustered smile, "I'm not actin' weird!" He exclaimed, laughing.

Belle felt her stomach twist. Years she's known Benny. They were as close as they could be, best friends. Yet, to this day, she felt butterflies in her stomach every time he laughed or smiled or gave her that teasing knowing look he had. She smiled from ear to ear and tackled Bernard into the bed, pinning him with her weight. She was glad that didn't stop him from laughing.

"You are too acting weird." She teased in a whisper.

Bernard controlled his laughter enough to look at her. Her face was so close to his, he could smell her sweet smelling perfume. He completely ignored the pain of her ribs crushing his own. He huffed a laugh, shaking his head in mock shame, giving her a small smile. He hadn't even noticed when his hands snaked around her, laying on her back in a pathetic embrace. He blushed.

Belle stared back down at him, smiling as well. She liked the way his cheeks were more rosy than usual, his dark eyes darting around as he looked back up at her. Half of her attention was on his arms around her, her brain just buzzing. She bit her lip to stop a grin, her toes curling into the sheets. She giggled, digging her face into the crook of his neck, too embarrassed to look at him. She took a deep breath, loving the way he smelled. Sweet yet it had a boyish twist to it. She shut her eyes tightly, her face burning up as she decided he smelled rather musky all of a sudden.

"Hey, I'm sorry I couldn't be at the party with you yesterday…" He mumbled, pulling on a strand of her long soft hair.

Big mistake, Belle thought. She pulled herself up and sat away from him, picking up the conversation quickly. "Oh?" She crossed her arms over her chest. Never a good sign. Bernard scowled and sat up to face her. "You seemed so preoccupied with that girl last night. Neve?" She stated.

"Neve?" Bernard repeated, picking up at her tone and body posture. He couldn't believe she was going there. He scoffed, "What else could I do? You were having so much fun with Jack, I didn't want to interrupt!" He countered.

Belle's mouth fell agape for a moment, completely appalled. "He was there and _you _weren't!" She shot back.

"I said I'd try to make it. Which I did!" He replied, his tone angry, matching hers. "I looked for you!" He exclaimed desperately.

"And then you left!" She reminded him.

"You were with Jack!" He reminded her.

"So? You're my best friend, Bernard!" She exclaimed exasperatedly.

"You'd choose me over him?" He blurted out. He hadn't been thinking. What kind of a question was that to ask her? He mentally slapped himself for it.

Belle fell silent, staring at Bernard with disbelief in her eyes. How could he ask that? He knew she would cross the ocean to be with him. He knew she wouldn't disregard him in _any _situation, ever. How could he even consider thinking that she'd replace him with Jack? She couldn't believe he said that…

Bernard nervously waited for her to say something. Anything. He'd even be glad to hear an 'I hate you' which is probably what she's thinking right now. But that's not what he could see in her eyes. He only saw hurt and disappointment. He hadn't meant to say what he did. He didn't mean for it to sound that way. He couldn't take the way she looked right now, he felt so terrible.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. He didn't know what else to do right now. He crawled toward her, sitting beside her and pulling her in to a tight hug. "I didn't mean it, you know that." He whispered into her hair.

Belle buried her face into his chest, "I wouldn't ever disregard you, Benny…" She whispered.

"I know." He whispered back, squeezing her tightly. "I was just jealous…" He mumbled. He wasn't embarrassed to say it. They were too close for that to be a surprise. Belle knew very well he was very jealous over her. Ever since they were younger. He would never leave her and Curtis alone, he would always try to impose and he had no shame in saying so. Belle was his and Bernard was hers, they knew that very well. Neither of them were very good at sharing.

"I know. Me too." She whispered, wrapping her arms around him now. She sighed, smiling. She loved how they were so perfect. She loved their perfect friendship.

"We're late for the tree topper." He mumbled reluctantly.

Belle tensed, her eyes widening. Her parents are going to kill her. "Do you think I can still make it?" She asked, pulling away from him to look at him with wide worried eyes.

Bernard grabbed her chin and shook his arm, "You can at least show up." He suggested. "No one puts the tree topper on but you." He reminded her.

Belle leaped out of the bed and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door shut. Bernard sighed and laid back into the bed, staring at the ceiling. He tried not thinking about moments ago. Instead he started counting all of the green objects in her room. Before he knew it, Belle was out and ready to go. He had to take a moment to admire her. She wore a red Christmas sweater with designs on it, a pair of simple faded black jeans and some bracelets. Her hair was loose and slightly messy but it still looked soft to the touch. He watched curiously as she struggled to pull on a pair of red shoes. He recognized them to be the same as the green ones he had used when they left to buy Mrs. Claus' present.

"Let's go." She said as soon as she jammed her foot into the shoe. She rushed out and ran straight to the room where everyone was waiting for her.

As she feared, only her father was there, sitting near the fireplace, holding a cup of cocoa in a hand. Bernard was right at her heels and he was making up an excuse for their tardiness.

"I'm glad you decided to make it after all." Santa said quietly, still staring into the lazy flames in the mouth of the Santa head.

"Dad, I'm sorry…" She said, deciding that making up an excuse wasn't a good idea. It'd be a lie, after all, and who lies to Santa Claus? No one in their right mind.

"We got caught up talking, sir." Bernard said, stepping forward and standing tall next to Belle.

Santa glanced at them through the corner of his eyes. He couldn't help the warm feeling that tingled in his tummy. He could still see little Belle standing at the door under Bernard's firm hand holding her in place after he had sent for her. Her little pout, her cheeks red, her hair disheveled. Bernard's face all red, his breathing heavy from trying to catch her. Bernard hasn't changed since then but his little Belle certainly has. He felt a bittersweet pain in his heart. He smiled. The memory of them not standing the sight of each other, and the sight of them being impossible to separate.

"Bernard and Belle getting caught up talking? Unbelievable." He teased, cracking a smile.

Belle let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding, finally smiling at her father. She walked over to the wall of tree toppers, scanning it carefully, looking for the topper of the year excitedly.

Santa chuckled and set his cup on the center table before standing, hooking his chubby thumbs on his red suspenders as he aimlessly walked to the tall Christmas tree which Bernard had wandered to. He stood next to his head elf and sighed, getting his attention.

"Soon, huh?" Santa muttered as he seemed to admire the tree.

Bernard straightened up and grabbed his hands behind his back. He suppressed a sigh and turned his head to face the big man, his eyebrow raised. "Soon, sir?" He asked, pretending to be interested.

"Thirteen days 'til Christmas, Benny." He said, choking on a chuckle, it came out as a sputtered scoff.

Bernard's innards twisted, his eyes shut tight, his jaw clenched. "_Don't call me that_." He hissed so Belle wouldn't hear it.

Santa nearly broke out in hysteric giggles but he bit his lip to save Bernard of the embarrassment. He took a deep breath to recompose himself, it barely worked long enough. "Oh come on, you love it when Belle calls you that." He mocked, snickering at the way Bernard's ears turned red and his jaw clenched, the vein in his temple literally pulsating with anger.

"You're not Belle." Bernard spat, trying to keep his cool. Times like these, when Santa decided to tease him, he hated them so much. He sighed heavily, "Shouldn't you be doing your job, Santa?" He asked irritated.

"All under control." Santa chirped happily. He loved those years when everything was on track and ready to go.

Bernard scowled, turning to face Santa and give him a skeptic look. "Even after all of the freak accidents? The machinery, the kitchen, the toys, the elf deficiency?" He listed.

Santa chuckled, putting a hand on Bernard's shoulder and shook him. "You worked for a few days, practically straight, remember?" He reminded, raising a curious eyebrow at his overworked head elf.

Bernard shook Santa's hand off his shoulder and grabbed his arm, shaking him instead, "Yeah but that couldn't possibly have set everything right-"

"I've had a little extra help." Santa said, slapping Bernard's hand off his arm and laughing at the expression on his face.

"Extra help?" He asked, bewildered. "Where did you find extra help?"

"Knock, knock!" Bernard's eye twitched, immediately recognizing that snooty obnoxious voice. He rolled his eyes to the back of his head and nearly groaned. He grunted when heavy hands fell on his shoulders, spinning him around to face the man in question.

"That's where." Santa said, patting Bernard's shoulder. The big jolly man scowled, knowing Bernard disliked him, and turned on his heel to assist his daughter in picking out the tree topper.

"Frost." Bernard acknowledged reluctantly. He watched as Jack Frost made his way toward him, that cocky grin on his face. Oh how he wished he could shove him into the fireplace…

"Head Elf." Jack returned the acknowledgment with the same amount of disregard. "I see you managed to find Miss Belle."

Bernard took a deep breath through his nose, "Yeah, wasn't that hard." He muttered, letting the breath go.

Jack chuckled, literally feeling the negative energy coming from the head elf. Maybe he could add to the elf's suffering. "You know, I'm going to invite Belle out this afternoon. Perhaps you would like to join us?" He said with an uppish tone.

Bernard clenched his fist and suddenly turned to face Jack, his face only inches away from the other. Bernard was sometimes glad he was taller than most elves. He scowled at the way Jack only grinned, waiting for him to say something.

Bernard nearly snarled, "No thanks." He grumbled.

Jack smirked and raised a brow. He wasn't just about to take no for an answer. "Oh come on, Bernard, it would be fun!" He exclaimed for everyone to hear, stepping away from the angry elf. He was sure that if he pushed it too far, he'd get a black eye. Do elves hit people? He wondered. Well, Bernard would probably take a swing at him. Such a sassy elf.

"What would be fun?" Belle asked curiously, walking up to them, smiling. "Hi, Jack." She added then.

Jack smiled at her brightly, genuinely, before putting his arm over her shoulders and walking her away from Bernard. He glanced over his shoulder at him and felt accomplished, seeing as his face was twisted into a furious expression. Oh, jealously, such a strong emotion.

"Hi, Belle." He chirped, chuckling. "I was just inviting Bernard to join us for a play later today. It's a musical. It will be so fun! Yet he refuses to go." He said, faking a very sad tone at the end, even pouting his lip for added effect.

Belle stopped their aimless walking, looking surprised, "We're going to a play?" She asked curiously.

Jack nodded, giving her a small smile. "If you decide to say yes." He whispered to her.

Belle weighed her options. "I don't really fancy musicals…" She said out loud. She felt bad that she said it, Jack must be so disappointed.

Jack sighed, seeing as his fun has ended here. He glanced back at Bernard and shrugged, feeling as if he's done enough to the poor elf man. He was always up for games though, so he kept the offer open, "I'll be there either way. The play is at six o'clock, in case you decide to join." He said, giving her a friendly wink.

Belle was confused, not knowing when exactly she had refused his offer but shrugged, deciding it was better than having to formally refuse. "Alright, I'll keep it in mind. Thank you." She said politely. Jack nodded and turned to leave, giving Bernard a smirk before walking out.

Belle sighed, turning to face her father. He gave her a worried look, walking to her and holding her at arm's length. "What happened?" He asked in a whisper.

Belle scoffed, "I just came to thinking… when the last time I've had a day to myself was?" She muttered, looking at her feet.

Santa blinked past his surprise. He knew his daughter as someone who liked spending time with someone. Someone who wanted to have fun. Her wanting to be alone… it was strange. "Is there anything you want to talk about?" He asked quietly, his worry clear in his voice.

Belle huffed a laugh, glancing back over her shoulder to where Bernard was standing at the fireplace, glaring into the flames. She could see it the moment Jack walked in, just how much he disliked him. Belle could act oblivious only for so long. She didn't know what to do anymore. She couldn't keep dividing herself like that and keep hurting Bernard. But she also couldn't keep away from Jack. Belle smiled and turned back to her father, shaking her head, "I'm okay…" She whispered.

Santa sighed, lifting his head to look at Bernard. Maybe he should talk with him. "Alright, sugarplum, but if you want to talk about anything, anytime, let me know, okay?" He said, cupping her cheek in his hand.

Belle smiled, grabbing his hand gently, "Of course." She mumbled, removing his hand.

Santa gave her a smile, "We'll put the tree topper up tonight, after everyone is reunited." He said, giving her a gentle push toward the door. Belle walked out without protest, leaving the two males alone. Santa shut the door and it caught Bernard's attention. "We need to talk." Santa said, giving him a strange look.

Bernard's demeanor dropped and he swallowed the lump in his throat and suddenly the fire next to him felt hotter than a minute ago. When is it ever good when your boss says you need to talk? Never. Sure, they were close, but still he was his boss.

"'Bout what?" He asked coyly, acting innocent of everything imaginable.

"Take a seat." Santa offered, pointing at the couch.

"I'd rather stand." Bernard replied nervously.

"Sit." Santa said more firmly, sitting in his large and heavily cushioned chair.

"Okay." Bernard said, quickly complying. "What are we talking about?" He asked curiously but truly he's sweating up a storm.

"Oh, nothing important..." Santa said, not facing Bernard as he spoke. Instead he stared at the fireplace.

"Sir..." Bernard tried to give him incentive.

Santa turned his head to look at Bernard seriously. Bernard tensed, recognizing that look. It was the look he held when it came down to his precious daughter. Bernard himself never really received this look but he was aware of it.

"You and Belle have been best friends for..." He looked around, trying to catch the years in his mind. "What, seven years? I think more..." He mumbled, trying to do the right math.

Bernard shifted awkwardly. He wondered where he was going with this. Might as well ask. "Yeah, we've been friends for a long time-"

"Best friends." Santa interjected.

"Right. So... If I may be so bold..." He sighed, "What's your point?" He finished.

Santa groaned and rolled his eyes which earned him a strange look from Bernard. Santa leaned forward and clasped his hands together, looking Bernard straight in the eyes. "Where are you going with it?" He asked exasperatedly.

"With what?" Bernard asked incredulously.

Santa sighed, "Come on, Bernard, you can't keep fooling people." He said gently. "Can't keep fooling yourself." He added.

Bernard closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to grasp what Santa was saying. "I'm sorry, what?" He scoffed.

Santa got to his feet and sighed heavily. This would be harder than he thought. The elf was so oblivious and headstrong. "How long will it take for you to admit you have feelings for her?" He finally asked, getting to the point.

Bernard choked on air and jumped to his feet in surprise, "What?!" He exclaimed in disbelief. "Feelings for her? She's my best friend!" He defended. He rolled his eyes when Santa didn't respond. "She's _your daughter_!" He added.

Santa chuckled and turned around to face him, "If I'm gonna let anyone date my daughter, it'd certainly be my trusty head elf." He patted Bernard's shoulder.

"Santa, this is ridiculous, I don't like Belle that way." He said, dead serious.

"Bernard, it's all over you! The way you look at her, the way you speak to her, the way you treat her..."

"Like a sister!" Bernard exclaimed exasperatedly.

Santa scowled and leaned away from Bernard, "Okay, _ew_!" He exclaimed in disgust. "There's a word for that brother sister thing..." He grumbled.

"Santa!" Bernard exclaimed, appalled by his statement.

Santa groaned, "Sorry!" He mumbled sheepishly.

"What is your obsession with this, sir?" Bernard asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I've been seeing it for _years_, Bernard! You guys are practically together already!" He exclaimed, shaking Bernard by the shoulders.

Bernard wiggled away from Santa and straightened his shirt angrily, "I appreciate and respect her. I enjoy her company, she's lovely but I do not like her that way! I say that with all due respect." He said firmly.

"Bernaarrrrddddd..." Santa groaned, rolling his eyes to the back of his head.

"Santa, please!" He exclaimed in annoyance. "I don't want to talk about this." He said before storming out, leaving Santa dumbstruck.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, as Belle left Bernard and her father, she ran into Jack outside. He seemed to have been waiting for her.<p>

"Hi." Belle said as she approached him.

Jack smiled, "Hello." He replied.

Belle smiled sheepishly and looked around, "What are you doing here?" She asked awkwardly.

Jack gave her a toothy smile and looked to his feet, "Just standing." He said with a simple shrug.

"Fascinating." Belle stated, glancing up at him. "Now seriously, Jack. What are you doing here?" She giggled.

Jack gave her a pout and stuffed his hands into his pockets. He turned on his heels to face the central plaza where elves walked around hurriedly, doing everything they needed to do. "Just looking for a victim." He admitted with another shrug.

Belle was surprised by his response, it showed on her features. "Victim?" She whispered.

"Yes. Watch." He said. His eyes started darting from one elf to the other quickly, looking for an easy target. "Ah, here we are." He said, taking his hands out of his pocket and rubbing them together. He swooped down and picked up some snow and started making a ball as he explained his plan to Belle. "You see, the elves are a bit too overworked. I think they should take a load off and have... some... fun!" He finished just before he chucked the snowball across the plaza and it hit an elf on the back of the head, knocking his hat off.

The elf yelped and turned around, searching for the attacker. His cheeks were red and there was a scowl on his face. Belle grabbed Jack's arm and was about to scold him when the elf spoke up, "Who threw that?!" He exclaimed.

Jack chuckled and waved at him with a grin on his face. "Sorry. It slipped." He said sarcastically as he swooped down and made another snowball.

"Jack, don't!" Belle hissed, trying to stop him from throwing it. "This isn't funny."

Jack scoffed, "I think it is." He said simply. He aimed and threw the snowball, hitting the elf in the chest.

The elf made an angry pout and made a snowball of his own, throwing it at Jack who took it proudly to the face. He spit out a bit of snow that managed it's way into his mouth and laughed. "Nice shot!" He called out to the elf. The elf tilted his head in confusion. Jack grinned and made another snowball, "Try this!" He called out. He closed an eye and focused on the elf. With a smirk, he flicked his wrist, sending the snowball off course to the right, completely avoiding the elf.

"What?" The elf asked himself in confusion. "You missed, Ja- Oof!" He exclaimed when the snowball hit him in the face.

Belle gasped in surprise. She had caught sight of the snowballs movement. It was incredible! The snowball curved and hit it's target! "Wow!" Belle gasped.

The elf made another snowball and glared at Jack. He tightened the snowball and then threw it straight into the air. Jack watched it go up curiously. He lost sight of it and looked down at the elf. The elf smirked and looked back up. Jack did so as well and grunted when the snowball landed straight on his face. He spit out snow and looked toward the elf who was giggling his little bells off. He noticed that they had caught some attention for themselves.

"Look out!" Belle exclaimed as she ran away from Jack. Just then, a snowball hit him in the chest. He looked out and noticed it wasn't the same elf.

"Oh, no fair!" Jack complained, making another snowball. He threw it out toward the other elf, hitting it in the cheek. "Belle, back me up, I'm going in!" He exclaimed before running out to the elves.

"What?!" Belle exclaimed in panic. "But I'm a horrible shot!" She protested as she chased after him. She dodged a flying snowball and it barely missed. "What the tinsel?!" She exclaimed in surprise. She looked over to a giggling elf. She raised a playful eyebrow and Belle scoffed. Belle felt a nudge on her back. She turned to face Jack.

"Don't just stand there! Attack!" He exclaimed, handing her a snowball.

"Oh, it's on." Belle said, putting on her game face. She pulled her arm back and chucked the snowball at the elf that had attacked her. She managed to knock her hat off. "Ha!" Belle celebrated. Her eyes widened when the elfette scowled and prepared another snowball. "Oh, cookie crumbs..." Belle cursed under her breath as she turned and hightailed it to a bench. She crouched down and hid behind it. She looked through the wooden panels and gasped when the snowball hit right before her eyes.

Jack grunted as he received countless hit from snowballs coming in from every angle. He looked around and scowled, seeing as many elves had joined to back the first victim up. He hit the deck and piled up a lot of snow, making separate snowballs quickly. "Ah!" He grunted when three snowballs hit him along his ribs. Maybe laying down in the open wasn't such a great idea. He stood up and began throwing the snowballs, managing to hit about four elves. "Ha!" He exclaimed in victory. He regret his actions when a wave of snowballs came flying toward him. "No!" He yelped, bringing his arms up to cover his face. He waited for the impact but it never came. "They missed?" He whispered in disbelief. He removed his arms and opened his eyes and caught a glimpse of a wall of snow falling to the ground. "Did I do that?" He wondered in awe. He looked around and every elf was staring at him with the same awe and disbelief. "I did that?" He asked more openly, hoping someone would answer. They all seemed too shocked to do so.

Belle was shocked still in her spot behind the bench. She couldn't believe what she had just witnessed with her own two eyes. How did Jack make the snow rise and form like that? He created a shield from the snow! It was unbelievable. It was amazing. She couldn't muster a better reaction than to remain still, her eyes wide and her mouth agape.

Jack looked down at his hands, then at the snow, then back to his hands. "Oh yeah, it's on now." He whispered to himself. He raised his arms experimentally and just held the thought of snowballs. He laughed when they actually started forming. Well, sort of. They were more like big, not round piles of snow. He shrugged, "Let it snow!" He exclaimed and the snowballs all flew out in random directions, hitting the elves here and there.

"Attack!" The elves exclaimed, charging out toward Jack, looking like they meant business.

"Oh, no..." He grumbled, frantically looking around for a solution.

"Jack, over here!" Belle called out from her cover. She poked her hand out and waved it. Jack started at a sprint toward her. He jumped onto the bench and hopped over the back, landing next to her. Belle gasped and fell back, "Careful!" She hissed.

"Man the harpoons!" He exclaimed.

"Man the- what?" Belle asked in pure confusion.

"Snowballs, dear, I need snowballs!" He encouraged her to make snowballs.

"Oh, right, right!" She gasped as she quickly started making snowballs. "Here." She handed him two snowballs which he took quickly. She stopped and watched in awe as he stood up and and tossed them at the same time, taking out the two elves in the front of the enemy troops.

"More!" He said, crouching back down. "Go, go, go!" He said while laughing. He started making his own snowballs sloppily, tossing them over the bench like live grenades.

"Surrender, Frost!" Came a voice. The two man army stopped making their weapons and looked up. Standing on the bench were two elves holding a tin trashcan. Before they could respond, they dumped it's contents, which turned out to be snow, onto them. It came down over Jack mostly.

"Never!" Jack exclaimed, jumping to his feet and running away to find more cover.

"Jack! Don't leave me!" Belle cried out, shaking the snow off of herself. She gasped and glanced at the elves. She cracked a sheepish smile and they both huffed. Belle jumped to her feet and made a break for Jack. "Get back here, Frost!" She shouted.

Jack jumped behind a different bench and tried to catch his breath. Soon after Belle caught up and nearly threw herself behind cover. Jack laughed, though out of breath, "Those elves put up quite a fight!" He admitted.

"You think?" Belle barked, trying to catch her own breath. "What do we do now?" She asked, looking over the bench to see the elves huddled up, making a plan. "I think we're doomed, Jack." She whispered worriedly.

Jack hushed her and tried to think. He could easily win this but he couldn't hurt anyone so that put him short of a plan. He closed his eyes and concentrated. "I got it!" He exclaimed just before jumping to his feet. Belle followed.

"What do you have in mind?" Belle asked curiously.

"Just an idea..." He mumbled. He took a deep breath and raised his arms again. Belle gasped when snow started shifting around them. It started building up on itself. Belle, feeling a little spooked, moved to stand next to Jack. Just then, the snow came up and above their heads, encasing them in some kind of dome.

Belle stared in awe, "Jack, this is brilliant!" She gushed, touching the smooth wall of the snow dome.

"Isn't it?" He grinned proudly. He moved his arms and pushed outwards with his hands on the dome. There a small window formed so he could see out to the elves. "Ready for battle?!" He called out to them. The elves all turned to face them. They all gasped and complained.

"That's not fair, Mr. Frost!" One of the elves complained with a pout.

Jack rolled his eyes, "Fine." He groaned. He reached out and and jerked his hands up. Suddenly small walls of snow appeared before the elves. They all smiled and grinned, taking their places behind the semi-natural shields.

Belle swallowed the lump in her throat. This will be a long epic battle and she was in no way prepared for it. Jack turned to look at her. He grinned, "Ready for battle, my lady?" He asked.

"As I'll ever be..." She whispered, scooping snow up into her hands. "Let's do this." She said. And with that, snowballs flew across the plaza. Dozens against two but when one of the two was a snow miser, it was a fair enough battle.

Belle sighed, feeling utterly happy and having so much fun. "I'll feel this tomorrow." She said as she ducked for cover from a large snowball coming her way. "Oh boy!" She grumbled, feeling the battle has just begun.

Jack was concentrating more on keeping the barriers in place than hitting his targets. Somehow, Belle's laughter fueled his concentration. He sighed, _my plan can wait until tomorrow... _He chuckled.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Holy cow! What?! What plan, Jack?**_

_**Oh, what a fun little chapter, don't you think? This ended up being much, much longer than I had intended but hey, it can't be a bad thing! Please leave your reviews, I love those things! Go team Benny! Go team Frost! Woot, woot, woot! **_


	10. Winter Fever

_**A/N: Hey! Surprise, an update! It's been a while, hasn't it? I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update, I haven't been in the best of conditions to write anything lately. I'm way behind but I'm getting back to writing! Hopefully I'll fit some more chapters in before Christmas!**_

_**For waiting so long, I made this chapter very, very interesting. Brace yourselves for a lot of drama goodness and sassyness. Don't hate me, please. Lots of surprises coming your way! **_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

><p>Belle groaned. Something was disturbing her in her sleep. The last thing she wanted was to wake up. She was beyond exhausted. After the long snowball war with Jack, she got home and fell right into bed. She had to admit, she didn't regret a thing. She hadn't had so much fun in a while. She couldn't help but smile. Her eyes fluttered open and she immediately realized what had awoken her. She shut her eyes against the bright ray of sunlight hitting her face directly. She sighed, rolling out of bed and blindly walking to the bathroom to do her regular morning activities.<p>

As she did this, she wondered what she would do today. Nothing physical, she thought, stretching out her sore limbs. Those elves really don't play games. When she finished her morning routine, she walked out to find a change of clothes. A simple gray sweater and blue jeans did the trick. She pulled on a pair of black converse, making sure to wear warm socks. She tied her hair into a loose messy bun, letting her long fringe frame her face.

With a huff, she headed out to the kitchen to get some breakfast. She hoped she'd run into someone on the way for company. As she walked out on the snow, she looked around. As usual, the elves were running around doing their duties, seemingly happy. The countdown to Christmas was coming to an end, things must be hectic. Hectic. She sighed, the thought of Bernard immediately intruding her thoughts. She missed him a lot.

Belle walked into the kitchen quietly, as to not interrupt the busy chef elves. She glanced around, looking at all the gingerbread houses and candy canes, smiling at the classic Christmas food. As tempting as the gingerbread houses looked, she needed some real food. She decided she would eat some scrambled eggs with a side of peanut butter toast.

While her breakfast was making, she watched the elves go around. She smiled at their beautiful faces, never changing. They were frozen in time, always remaining youthful and pure. Belle's smile wavered, her eyes becoming sad. She looked to her right, into the reflection the shiny oven created of her. Big blue eyes, full pink lips, narrow face, high cheek bones. She couldn't help but feel a tang of bitterness. She would not have the same fate as they. She would become old, and look the part, and soon pass away. All the elves would outlive her, remaining beautiful and perfect. Just like Bernard. Belle's heart clenched. It was something she thought of more than she should. Leaving him behind, and he would live with the weight of her passing for centuries to come. He would live on, time standing still on his face, the only signs of his true age being his wisdom.

Belle felt a lump in her throat. She turned around to face the sink as her eyes began to sting with tears. She didn't want to grow old. She didn't want to leave Bernard, her parents or even Jack behind. It was a scary thought, and she shouldn't harbor it in her head, but she could not help it. Seeing all these elves around her, knowing the youngest could be hundreds of years older than herself, but looking as young as a ten year old child. What a true blessing they had, Belle thought, almost bitterly.

She clenched her hands into fists, shutting her eyes tightly, tears rolling down her face. She could feel the heat of the stove to her right on her face but she couldn't bring herself to care. She didn't feel hungry. She slammed her fist into the counter out of frustration with herself and turned around, running out of the kitchen before her sobs could escape. She ran, and kept running, knowing exactly where her subconscious would take her.

She couldn't see past her tears, she couldn't hear over the sound of her heavy breathing, but she knew she was heading the right way, and getting close to her haven. Her legs began to burn, begging her to stop. With a yelp, she collapsed into the snow, having tripped over her own feet. She slammed her hands into the snow angrily and pushed herself up, her face hot with anger. She burst into the old wooden cabin, slamming the door shut, not caring how the structure shook. She walked to the far end and leaned against the wall, sliding down as she began to cry again. She hugged her legs into her chest, hiding her face into her knees.

She sobbed, feeling her life was unfair. She hated the fact she was born normal. She is the daughter of Santa Claus, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas and yet she is as plain as your average person. She has no special elven abilities, she ages like a normal person and she doesn't really like sweets. What's up with that? She has asked her parents countless times why she was so normal and they couldn't offer her an explanation. Her father had once told her she looked like her mother, but even her mother stopped aging when she became Mrs. Claus, that being the reason she looks the same now as she had nineteen years ago. Just as beautiful and her eyes so full of life.

Belle tried to control her sobbing, finding it almost impossible to breathe. She took a shaky breath, trying to clear her thoughts. She tried to think of happy things. She immediately thought of Bernard. Something that always made her feel happy. To her, he was a pretty good darn reason to smile. She thought of his own smile, something people complained about seeing more of, yet she saw it every moment they spend together and she could never grow tired of it. Bernard could make anything right. Even aging. She knew deep down, the older she became, the more their friendship grew. He would get closer every year, tell her more things he couldn't before, take her places she wasn't allowed to go before. There was always a bright side when it came to him.

Belle took in a shaky breath, finally calming down enough to pull her head up. The cold Arctic air stung in her lungs but she rather enjoyed the feeling, seeing as it took away from the miserable feeling in her heart. She sighed again, shaking her head shamefully. She felt awful for acting in such a way, and it seemed her little tantrums became worse the older she became, but she couldn't help it sometimes. She was only human, after all. She wasn't an elf, with pure and wonderful thoughts every second of the day. She was a human teenaged girl with conflicts and different kind of feelings and emotions, that perhaps many elves would never comprehend. She almost smiled at the thought. She had some perks the elves did not. She could feel and think in different ways they could not, given their nature. She grimaced, realizing most of those thoughts or feelings would actually be appalling to them, but she quickly shook the thought away, reminding herself she was a human girl and they were elves.

But, there are exceptions to the rule, she realized. Her parents, for example, once human, with thoughts and feelings of those of their past race. They would never let go of that side of them, for they would always feel and think as humans do, and always argue and love as only humans do. Jack, not quite an elf or human, but Belle still saw it in his eyes that he was not like the cheery little elves around them. He was different in many, if not all, ways. And her best friend, Bernard. She knew him better than she knew herself, and she knew he was the most different of them all. Bernard had taught her virtually everything she knows about Christmas and everything North Pole. It is thanks to him that she is the person she is now. She has taught him many things as well, as the years passed. She had explained human nature to him when he didn't comprehend it, and she liked to believe he was different from the other elves thanks to her.

Belle rubbed her hands on her jeans, trying to keep warm. She shuddered against the cold. She didn't realize it was so cold until she finally managed to calm down. She tugged on her hair and it fell from it's messy bun to cascade over her shoulders and beyond, providing at least a bit of warmth. Belle shuddered again and stood to her feet, deciding it was time she got back to Christmastown. As she made her way to the door, she stumbled, her vision going dark for a moment.

"Whoa." She gasped, spreading her legs out like a newborn foal to keep her footing. Once she was steady, she ran a hand over her face and sighed, "Got up too fast." She mumbled, carefully walking outside. She closed her eyes for a moment, feeling a strange pressure in the area and around her temples. "No, headache." She whined. "I need some cocoa, I'm going through too much stress." She mumbled, starting her way back to Christmastown.

* * *

><p>"Has anyone seen Belle?" Santa called out into the factory from his spot at the top of the stairs. He watched with a scowl as the elves all shook their heads vigorously. "Bernard?" He asked as a suggestion. The elves nodded, but never gave him more of an answer.<p>

Santa sighed, turning on his heel and walking across the area, running his hand over the banister. He wondered where his daughter could be. He already looked for her in her room, in the kitchen, in his office, at the bakery, he even went to Jack but he had not seen her.

"You called?"

"Ah!" Santa gasped, turning to face the curly haired elf. "Bernard, I told you to stop sneaking up on me." He scolded, placing a chubby hand on his chest. Bernard did not respond, just waiting for Santa to speak. "Have you seen Belle?" He asked moments later.

Bernard narrowed his eyes, "You ask that question far too many times to be safe." He scolded the large jolly man. "Have you checked her room?" He suggested. Santa nodded. "Kitchen?" Nod. "Office?" Nod. "Bakery?" Nod. "The outskirts?" Nod, then a vigorous shake of the head. Bernard sighed, "First place to look when you can't find Belle." He grumbled, knowing he would have to go find her if she didn't show up soon.

"Why does she always wander there?" Santa asked exasperatedly.

Bernard sighed, knowing he couldn't answer that question. He was sworn to secrecy. Instead he played dumb, "I don't know. She likes it there." He offered.

"It's dangerous out there." Santa said worriedly.

"She's fine, sir, trust me." Bernard assured him.

"Daddy."

Santa and Bernard stopped dead in their tracks at the sound of her voice. They turned to face the door where Belle stood, hugging herself and her eyes downcast. Santa scowled and pushed his way past Bernard and his elves toward her. Bernard was quick to follow, not liking where this was going. Santa barely had time to open his arms before Belle fell into them for a hug.

She clutched onto him tightly and buried her face into his warm red coat, "I don't feel good, dad." She mumbled.

Santa tensed at hearing those words. Belle _never _complained. She never moaned or groaned about anything. Santa placed his hands on Belle's face gently and pulled back to look at her. He grimaced at the look on her face. Her eyes were red and puffy, she had obviously been crying. Her cheeks were flushed red as well. But what bothered him the most was the feeling on his palms.

"You're burning up, sugarplum." He said softly, as to not alarm his daughter.

"What?" Bernard hissed at hearing this. It was clear to him that she wasn't feeling well just by looking at her, but this came as a surprise to him. It wasn't like Belle to get sick.

"Shh." Santa shushed Bernard hastily so his alarm wouldn't trigger Belle. He pulled his daughter into his arms and held her gently, "What do you feel, honey?" He asked softly.

Bernard peered over Santa's shoulder, trying to catch a glimpse of Belle, but it was impossible to see her in the big man's arms. He frowned and settled to listening closely and carefully.

Belle whimpered, "My head hurts, daddy. Make it go away." She moaned.

Santa's heart broke into a million pieces at hearing her like this. She was in pain and she couldn't handle it. That's what bothered him most. It would have to be a _bad _headache to have Belle acting this way. He hugged her tighter, as if doing so would make every bad thing go away, "I'll take you to the infirmary-"

"No, no, I don't wanna." She said, trying to pull out of his tight hold. Santa didn't let her go and she didn't fight it, falling back into his embrace, "I wanna sleep, and some cocoa." She whined. "Not in that order though." She mumbled, her sweet and cheerful self trying to resurface, but she sounded miserable.

"But, Belle,-" Santa tried to persuade her but she shook her head like a child trying to be given cherry medicine.

"I'm not going to the infirmary!" She wailed angrily. Santa never liked it when Belle got headaches, even when she was a child. She never had many of them, and when she did, she didn't know how to handle them and felt frustrated, and this is how her frustration is shown. She whimpered and covered her eyes with her hand, "I want Benny to take care of me." She said weakly.

"What?" Bernard asked for the second time around.

Belle pried herself from her father and blindly made her way to Bernard, who barely had time to catch her when she fell into his arms. "Take care of me, Benny." She whispered.

"Bernard isn't a medic-" Santa interjected.

"I don't need a medic, I need Bernard!" Belle snapped, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly and leaned her weight on him. Bernard stumbled with her weight and reluctantly wrapped his arms around her small waist.

Bernard's heart clenched at seeing his best friend like this. He couldn't deny her what she wanted, specially if in her time of need all she wanted was _him_. "Okay, Bells, let's go make you better." He cooed to her. He grunted when Belle jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist. Bernard's eyes widened and he glanced at Santa nervously, not sure what he would think of this promising position he currently held with his daughter. He could see nothing but worry and concern in his sparkling blue eyes, which only fueled his own hectic worrying.

"Get her to her room and keep a close eye on her." Santa ordered sternly. "Get her the cocoa, get her to sleep and I'll send someone in to check on her." He said.

Bernard nodded before making his way out of the loud factory. All the noise must bother poor Belle. He ignored all the bewildered looks from the elves, and went straight to her room. He struggled to keep her up and open the door, but he managed and was finally in. He kicked the door closed behind him and went into her room, gently setting her down on the bed, careful not to fall on her as he did so. He reached back to unhook her arms from around his neck but she groaned loudly.

"I'm going to get your cocoa, sweetie." He whispered, carefully prying her arms from himself. "Extra marshmellows?" He asked as he slowly backed away before she could have a tantrum over him leaving her.

Belle tried lifting her head, but it throbbed too much. She couldn't even manage to open her eyes. "Yes, please." She said weakly. She really wanted to roll over and die right now.

Bernard swallowed the lump that formed in his throat as he watched her writhe in her bed. She looked really miserable. It killed him to see her like that, he would do anything to make her feel better. He turned reluctantly and made his way out. He scanned the area and was suddenly very glad to see someone in particular.

"Curtis, buddy!" He called, his voice too overjoyed. Curtis scowled, not liking where this was going. The sneaky head-elf was probably going to send him off to do something. He scurried his way over anyway, knowing he couldn't just ignore his superior. "Can you get me some cocoa with extra marshmellows, pal?" He asked, smiling a bit too enthusiastically.

Curtis frowned, "Go get your own cocoa, Bernard." He huffed.

Bernard frowned, "It's for Belle." He explained.

Curtis pouted, "But I have to go-"

"Go get Belle cocoa with extra marshmellows and be back in five minutes, Curtis, _go_." Bernard ordered all in one breath before turning and slamming the door in Curtis' face. The small elf sighed and went to the bakery where he knew he would find Belle's favorite cocoa.

Bernard huffed and ran a hand over his face. He didn't like ordering poor Curtis around like that but he was being testy and he was desperate to get back to Belle. He entered her room after seven long steps, and frowned at the expression of pain on her face.

"Belle, are you alright?" He asked worriedly, walking to her bedside and kneeling on the floor to be closer to her.

Belle whimpered and tightened her eyes, "No." She groaned, "My head hurts really badly, my arms and legs hurt, everything _hurts_." She hissed.

Bernard reached out and grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze, "It's just a bad headache, Belle,-"

"No, Benny, my _head _hurts!" She wailed, yanking her hand out of his and clutching her head tightly. "Oh!" She moaned in pain, rolling onto her other side and curling into a ball.

Bernard jumped to his feet and froze. She was in too much pain for her to handle, and he didn't know what to do. He began to panic, his heart racing and his breathing catching in his throat. "Belle?" He called tentatively.

"_Make it go away!_" She screamed.

Bernard jumped five feet into the air, his heart flying out of his chest and the blood draining from his whole body, leaving him white as milk. Belle suddenly sat up, still clutching her head. The sight of her scared Bernard to the very core. Her eyes were blood red, her face was covered in tears, her hair was everywhere and she was crying hysterically.

"Belle, what's wrong?!" He demanded, trying to keep calm and not run out of the room.

"I don't know!" She cried.

"What do you feel?" He asked, hoping she would calm down.

Belle tried to respond, but she couldn't breathe. She was panicking, she didn't know what was wrong. Her head felt like it would implode, her arms and legs burned and ached all the while she was shivering from the cold. She felt so scared, she almost wanted to throw up. Her hands were shaking from her nerves as she thought she could possibly be dying. Could she be dying?!

"I need dad!" She gasped out through heavy sobs.

Bernard turned on his heel and ran out, glad he could actually leave the terrifying scene for a moment. He wondered if he should leave her alone but the sound of her crying made him think otherwise and he ran across the heavy snow into the factory.

"Santa!" He called loudly, frantically, causing everything to stop dead in it's tracks.

"Bernard, what's wrong?" Santa's voice rung clear from the top of the stairs.

"Belle needs you, _now_." He said urgently before running back out of the factory.

Panic set into the jolly man immediately. He slid down the banister to cut down on time, earning some surprised gasps from his elves, and he speed walked out of the factory. Trying to keep his composure at a time like this was very difficult. On his way out, he ran into someone he didn't need to worry about now.

"What's the hurry, fat man?"

"Belle is not doing well." Santa said in hurry as he walked past the cold man.

Jack frowned and started to follow Santa with curiosity, "What's wrong?" He asked. Okay, perhaps it wasn't curiosity. He was worried about the fat man's daughter. Sue me.

"I don't know yet. Do me a favor and get Carol, will you?" Santa ordered hastily as he headed straight for his daughter's room.

Jack stopped following Santa and rolled his eyes. He didn't like doing the jolly man any favors, but he sucked it up and did it as a favor to the very pleasant Belle.

Santa came bursting through the doors, and he nearly fainted at hearing his daughters desperate crying. He ran into her room, seeing Bernard and Curtis on either side of her, trying to console her with frantic words.

"I'm here, baby girl, what's wrong?" Santa asked as he walked over, taking Curtis' place by her and taking her hand into his own. It was scorching. He placed a hand on her wet cheek and had the same result. "She's burning in fever." He informed his head elf.

Bernard nodded, "It got worse in a matter of minutes. By the time I came back she was covered in sweat, but she says she's cold." He explained worriedly. "What's happening to her?" He demanded to know.

Santa scowled, "That extent of my knowledge is the same as yours, Bernard." He said, angry at himself for not knowing what's wrong with his daughter.

"Does this happen to all humans?" Bernard asked, slightly disturbed by the thought.

Santa shook his head, "I've never seen this before. It's definitely not a headache." He said, watching as Belle clutched her head and whimpered miserably.

"Really?" Bernard snapped sarcastically. "Maybe you should get the medical elves in here?" Bernard suggested.

Just then, someone else came through the door. Santa was relieved to see his wife rushing to his side. Her eyes immediately overflowed with tears at the sight of her daughter. "What's wrong with her?" She asked, grabbing one of her hands tightly.

"We don't know." Santa said.

Bernard scowled, "Again, medical elves." He repeated the suggestion. He was about ready to send Curtis to get them when Santa shook his head.

"No, this isn't normal." He said, never tearing his eyes from his daughter.

"Ain't that the truth?!" Bernard wailed. He was angry that everyone was just watching her suffer instead of moving to do something for her.

"Can I be of any assistance?"

Bernard went from worried best friend to angry head elf, "No!" He snapped, turning to glare at Jack Frost who stood at the door. The room was already cramped as it was.

Santa jumped to his feet, "Jack! Yes, glad you're here." He said, turning him around and pushing him outside. He closed the front door and held Jack by the shoulders, looking into his eyes seriously, "I need a big favor." He said.

Jack frowned, "But I already got Carol-" He pointed toward where Carol was. Santa swatted his hand down and shook him.

"I need you to call the Council of Legendary Figures." Santa ordered seriously.

Jack blanched, "Them? What, why?" He asked worriedly. He was never in the mood to see them. He was also concerned as to why he needed them now. "Is Belle alright?" He asked.

Santa shook his head sadly, "She's not looking very good." He said. "I'm thinking Mother Nature can tell us what's going on." He explained.

"Then why not just her?" Jack suggested.

"We need all the help we can get, Jack. My baby girl is really sick." He said frantically. "Go call them, now." He ordered in a tone where Jack wouldn't be able to fit a word in.

The doors beside them swung open and Carol stumbled out, face frantic and covered with tears, "She fainted." She breathed, looking as if she would faint as well.

Santa hugged her, "Don't worry, honey, Jack is going to call the Council. They'll know what to do." He assured his wife, placing a kiss on her head.

Carol sobbed, "Why is this happening to our baby girl?" She asked, her heart aching.

Santa sighed, trying to be strong in this crisis. "I don't know, sweetheart, but let's hope she'll get better soon."

"I don't understand." She whimpered, wiping the tears from her face. "She was fine yesterday."

"Sometimes things happen unexpectedly, Carol." He offered. "She might be better by tomorrow morning." He tried.

Carol frowned, "Did you not see her?" She hissed, pointing back to where their daughter lay unconscious in her best friend's arms.

"Let's just hope, honey." Santa said, his calm demeanor faltering as his voice cracked.

Carol began to cry again, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him close, "I'm sorry, my love, I'm just worried about her." She whispered.

"They're on their way." Jack announced as he walked toward the worried parents.

Santa nodded, "Thank you, Jack."

"Anything to help." He said with a shrug. "May I go see her?" He asked.

The couple stepped aside without a word and he walked in, closing the door behind him. He could hear the two elves' voices mumbling inside the room where Belle was. He took a deep breath and strut into the room, immediately feeling the icy glare from the head elf.

"What are you doing here, Frost?" Bernard hissed. He felt no need to hide his hatred now, seeing as Belle was unconscious and Curtis already knew of his dislike of Jack.

Jack smiled, "Just checking how Belle is doing."

Bernard grabbed Belle's arm and waved it around, "Unconscious. You can go now." He barked.

"My, my, you're being more hostile than usual." Jack pointed out, even if it was obvious to everyone.

Bernard grimaced, "And you're being more irritating than usual." He snapped.

"Ouch." Jack said with a sarcastic pout. He put his hands into his pockets, "I'm here worrying about Belle. As her best friend, you should be grateful." He teased.

"You're worried? About someone other than yourself?" He asked skeptically, scoffing.

"Belle is a splendid girl, great company, of course I will worry for her." He said innocently.

Bernard narrowed his eyes, "Fine. Thank you for your concern." He grumbled.

"Hey, Jack," Curtis spoke up, ignoring the tension between the two men.

"Yes, small elf?" He asked, glancing Curtis.

"I saw the snowball fight yesterday." He said excitedly.

"Oh?" Jack grinned, "Shame you could not join." He said, almost apologetically.

"Yeah, looked like a lot of fun. I didn't know you could do all those neat tricks." He added, sounding impressed.

Jack chuckled, "Quite frankly, neither did I. I'm just full of surprises." He smiled.

Bernard scoffed, "Tell me something I don't know." He grumbled.

"Butt out, head elf, I'm speaking with the little one." Jack snapped, loosing his composure for a moment.

Bernard glared at Jack with great intensity, "Don't tell me to butt out when you're the one intruding here." He hissed.

"I was allowed in here, for your information." Jack pointed out, regaining his cool demeanor. "I am good friends with Belle, whether you like it or not,-"

"I don't." Bernard snapped.

Jack ignored him, "and I am genuinely concerned for her. I am not here to make your life impossible, as much as I'd love that to be the case." He said with a smug smile.

"So you admit to trying to make my life impossible?" Bernard asked skeptically.

"No." Jack said, raising an icy eyebrow.

"But you just said-"

"Let me head out before the Council arrives. This room is becoming stuffy." Jack announced as he turned to leave.

"Afraid, Jack?" Bernard teased, smirk on his face.

"Of what? The Council? Why should I be?" Jack scoffed, not sparing Bernard a glance. He had to hide his worried expression.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because you're still on parole and you haven't been helping around at all lately." He suggested mockingly.

"I have so been helping. This place would be lost without me." Jack called over his shoulder.

"Right, right." Bernard threw back, rolling his eyes.

Jack rolled his eyes and walked out, joining the couple waiting outside.

"Did she wake up?" Carol asked worriedly.

"Not yet." Jack said, sounding disappointed. He sighed, "I would love to stick around but I have some very important things to do, if you'll excuse me." He said, quickly making his exit.

Santa sighed, running his fingers through his snow white beard, "What's taking the Council so long?" He said with frustration laced in his voice.

Carol cupped his rosy cheek, "I'd be surprised if they arrived in the next half hour. The Council has very important duties of their own to tend to." She tried to soothe her husband.

"Do you think Jack told them it's about Belle? You know how Mother Nature is with her, she would have been here by now." He said worriedly.

Carol sighed this time, "Relax, honey, it's only been a few minutes." She said softly.

"You're right, I need to calm down." He said, taking a few steadying breaths.

"Santa." Came a soothing, melodic female voice. "We came as fast as we could."

"_Finally!_" Santa sighed with relief at the sight before him.

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><p><em><strong>AN: (gasp) You hate me, don't you? Oh, but hate is such a strong word. Surprised, or you saw it coming? Oh come on, not even I saw it coming, and I'm the writer o.e What's going on with Belle? Will Mother Nature be able to help? Will Belle be alright? Geez, Bernard and Jack are really going at it, aren't they?**_

_**Review! Tell me what you loved, what you hated, what surprised you, what made you laugh? Keep me posted; Team Benny or Team Frost?! The competition is stiff as Bernard's personality! Review, review, review! I'm depending on those wonderful things! Much more drama to come, hope you're ready!**_

_**(Forgive me for any grammar/spelling mistakes. It's been a while since I've updated anything and it's currently three in the morning. Thank you for taking it easy on me.)**_

_**Love,**_

_**Mutinous Pirate.**_

_**Till next time ;)**_


	11. Council Meeting

_**A/N: Hey, guys! Quicker update this time! This is kind of a short chapter but I'm trying to fit in a few chapters before Christmas! :D THANK YOU TO ALL OF THOSE WHO HAVE REVIEWED, I LOVE YOU!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own The Santa Clause (none of the three) or it's characters! I only own my character Belle and a few other things, I guess. **_

_**Enjoy this revealing chapter! ;)**_

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><p>Santa quickly greeted the Council before going straight to the matter at hand. Mother Nature kept her hands held together and her head held up high, although a glimmer in her eyes expressed her worry. Never in Scott's reign as Santa Claus had he called her for help. Much less for his daughter. Now that he has, Mother Nature couldn't help but assume the worst.<p>

It had always been a great risk to have Belle in Christmastown. As a human, she was vulnerable to many things in the North Pole, aside from a simple cold. Out of all of these risks, one worried the Council more than any other. They hoped that the moment would never come, that the prophesies would be incorrect, or that it would not be the case for young Belle. They hoped so much, in fact, that they never bothered to tell the father.

"What is the problem?" Mother Nature asked, already dreading the answer. She knew that her fellow Council members were also sweating in anticipation.

"I wish I knew, Mother." Santa said sadly, wringing his hands. "She's in her room, totally unconscious."

Mother Nature raised an eyebrow, almost reaching her crown, "And was she showing any signs of sickness before today?" She asked curiously.

Santa glanced over at Carol who shook her head, then back to Mother Nature, "No, she was fine when she left the office."

"And her symptoms?" Mother Nature asked warily.

Santa opened the doors for the Council, "See for yourselves." He said, leading them inside. He went straight to her room, hoping that maybe she would be awake.

"How is she doing?" Carol asked, looking at her unconscious daughter, still in Bernard's arms.

Bernard scowled, "Not good. Still out cold." He said, carefully laying her down on the bed and stepped back for the Council to examine her.

"Hm," Mother Nature hummed, hovering over the pale girl. She truly did look terrible. She watched as Tooth Fairy reached out and touched her arm. "Oh, she's burning up, Mother Nature." He said worriedly.

Bernard nodded, "She said her head hurt terribly." He said sadly.

Mother Nature turned toward Bernard, raising her eyebrow, "You are?" She asked.

Bernard swallowed the lump in his throat. He had never directly spoken to Mother Nature. They had met before, but what were the odds of her remembering him? He cleared his throat, holding his head up high, "Bernard, Head Elf." He introduced himself, again. He glanced at a motionless Belle, "Best friend..." He added with a mumble.

Mother Nature could see the worry in his dark eyes. It warmed her heart. She almost flinched at the sudden sound of Cupid's wings fluttering. She looked back at him with a stern glare, "Don't meddle." She warned. Cupid lost his grin and floated back down to the floor. She sighed and looked back the the curly haired elf, "Bernard, did she tell you what else was wrong?" She asked.

He shrugged, "Physical pain, mostly." He said, sad that it was all he could offer to help.

Mother Nature turned to address the audience, "May the Council have a moment with Belle?" She asked out of courtesy to the parents. They nodded and in a moment they were alone with Belle. The Council surrounded the bed, watching her.

"You think it's finally happening?" Tooth Fairy asked worriedly.

"No, it can't be!" Easter Bunny cried, putting his paws up to his snout.

"Shh, calm down." Mother Nature whispered. She looked over each Legendary Figure, and her eyes expressed just about everything. "Perhaps we should wait for Father Time to arrive." She said.

"No need." Came a strong voice as a bright shimmering light flashed by the door, and it slowly dissipated to reveal Father Time. "Let me see her." He said, walking over to the bed surrounded by the Legendaries.

They moved away to allow Father Time access to Belle. He handed his staff to Mother Nature, who took it with great care, and then leaned over to examine Belle. Within a minute, he knew everything he needed to know. "It is clear to me that the time has come."

Mother Nature frowned, "But we regulated her time here. I can't be." She gasped.

"It was destined to happen. It was only a matter of time." Father Time said, his voice solemn.

"What's going on?" Easter Bunny whimpered, his ears flicking around nervously.

"Bunny, try to keep up, will ya?" Tooth Fairy grumbled. "She's finally gonna become a Claus." He explained.

"_What_?" Easter Bunny gasped, flinching instinctively at the alarming news. He tilted his head, "I thought she was already a Claus. She's _not_ Santa's daughter?" He wailed.

"Let us take this in the living room." Father Time whispered, heading out of the room to leave Belle in peace. He didn't want her waking up at any moment and get alarmed. The Council walked into the living room with Father Time. They kept their voices low and calm as they continued on the matter.

Mother Nature sighed, placing a hand on Easter Bunny's furry shoulder, "Not exactly. Belle _is _his daughter. Just not Santa Claus'." She explained carefully so he would understand. "She is Scott Calvin's daughter." She added.

"Ohhh," Easter Bunny said. He jumped and gave Mother Nature a confused look, "I still don't get it." He said sheepishly.

"Legend says," Father Time began, "that once a Legendary Figure's offspring became of age, he or she would undergo a transformation, not always pleasant, as to be able to take a rightful place in the reign." He explained.

"Like a heir?" Cupid asked.

"Not exactly." Mother Nature answered. "See, Santa Claus is never replaced. Not in that way, at least." She said, regarding the fact that Scott Calvin replaced their previous Santa. "What we're trying to say is that Belle is going to be a Claus, no longer human."

Easter Bunny gasped, "She's turning into an elf?" He asked with surprise.

"No, of course not." Tooth Fairy scoffed. "Don't you remember how elves are made?" He mocked.

Easter Bunny whimpered and pulled his long ears over his eyes, "No, no, no." He chanted, not wanting to go into that again. He would forever be scarred by that story.

"This transformation occurs from pure Christmas magic." Mother Nature explained.

Father Time sighed, "We tried to avoid this." He began. He decided he would tell the other members, considering that this was always a secret between him and Mother Nature. "We thought that keeping her away in the human world would delay, if not stop this process all together." He explained. "This transformation means she will no longer be able to live in her human home." He said sadly. "We did not want her to be deprived of her life."

"Oh..." Cupid whispered, not knowing what to say. This was terrible for poor Belle. She was just beginning to live. "So... What does this transformation entail?" He asked.

"We are not sure." Father Time answered regrettably.

"Will she be okay?" Easter Bunny whimpered.

"She should be fine by tomorrow morning." Mother Nature said, smiling slightly. This news relieved them all.

"Hm, why didn't Mrs. Claus go through the same?" Easter Bunny asked.

"You're asking a lot of questions, Bunny." Tooth Fairy grumbled.

"No, you have a right to ask." Mother Nature gave Easter Bunny a warm smile. "Carol did not undergo a transformation because it is a different case where she is being changed by marriage, and she has already passed her transformation process, as a human. From teenager to grown-up." She explained.

"Ohh." Easter Bunny nodded, sort of understanding what she was saying. He would never fully understand what all of this Christmas magic was, or how it worked, but at least he knew Belle would be fine. Better than fine. She would be able to stay here now! That was great news!

"So, she is going to be fine?" Tooth Fairy asked, wanting to make sure she would be okay in the end.

"She'll be fine." Cupid said, smiling. "She's got a wonderful family to help her through all of this." He said. "And a great friend to support her." He grinned, his wings fluttering.

"That's right. I'm certain Belle will be fine." Father Time nodded.

"Why does it hurt so much, Mother Nature?" Easter Bunny asked worriedly.

"Well, her body is going through some changes. Her human side can't handle them well." She explained. "Everything is changing so she may adjust to her new life." She added.

"So... She's going to live a long time?" Easter Bunny asked curiously, almost excitedly.

"Perhaps. Hopefully." Mother Nature smiled.

"Hope and hope, my friends." Father Time said, almost sadly. "Her life span is on the line." He confessed.

Mother Nature almost dropped his staff in shock. "What? You never told me this." She gasped.

"These revelations made their way to me not too long ago." Father Time said sheepishly.

Cupid rest his feet on the floor and wrung his hands together, "Well, what does that mean? She's at risk?" He asked worriedly.

"I do not know. The changes could cause a dramatic effect, and it may not go either way." Father Time explained.

"So... She could..." Mother Nature couldn't bare the words.

"At any given moment, yes." Father Time nodded.

"No!" Easter Bunny cried.

"Is there anything we can do to prevent that?" Tooth Fairy demanded.

"I'm afraid not. Magic is magic." He said.

"So-" Cupid began but Mother Nature raised her hands to silence them.

"Belle will be fine. I will do everything in my power to keep her that way." She said calmly. "She will be perfectly fine, I feel it." She smiled. She knew it in her heart that Belle will be fine. More than fine. She would be perfect.

"I will be back tomorrow to determine everything I can." Father Time announced as he reached for his staff. He looked at all of the Council, "Where is Sand Man?" He asked.

Cupid fluttered his wings and lifted his feet as he looked around for Sand Man, "Sandy?" He called.

There was a loud snore from the bedroom, and the Council all leaned over to peek inside. "Sandy!" Mother Nature hissed at the man beside Belle, sleeping soundly. "Get out of there!" She scolded.

The Sand Man jumped. He could sleep through anything but Mother Nature's angry voice. He jumped off the bed and reunited with the Council. He gave them a questioning look, wondering what he had missed.

Father Time sighed, "Good luck telling Santa about this, Mother Nature. Not to mention Carol." He said as he began to disappear.

"Why can't you tell them?" Mother Nature hissed.

"I have important business to attend to." He shrugged, smiling slightly before he was gone with a flash of bright light.

"Good luck, Mother." Cupid said with a chuckle, spreading out his snow white wings and flying out a window.

"Good luck." Tooth Fairy followed, straitening his blue coat and flying out as well.

"Um," Easter Bunny swallowed heavily, looking around for an escape route. He spotted the window that Cupid had opened and ran for it, "Happy Easter!" He stuttered before jumping out the window and scampering away.

"Sandy, will you-" Mother Nature stopped dead in her tracks when she found the room empty. She sighed, knowing she was on her own on this. She knew Carol would lose her mind, and Santa would panic. Then, all of Christmastown would be in madness worrying about Santa's daughter.

"We need a memo about this." She grumbled, annoyed by the fact that she would need to explain everything again, and then have to calm their nerves. "I should ask about Frost." She whispered to herself, wondering where the icy man was in the midst of the situation. "Now or never, Nature." She said, walking out the front door.

"**How is she?!**" Everyone asked frantically.

"Let me explain..." Mother Nature began to, once again, tell the tale. She would get Father Time back for this soon.

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><p><em><strong>AN: Kind of a short chapter, but a lot goes on! Weird what's going on, but need I remind you it's fiction?**_

_**So, Belle's health is in danger? How will her loved ones handle this information? How will **she** handle this? Why am I asking you these questions?**_

_**Stick around to find out what will happen when she wakes up, and how she will be doing. Christmas is right around the corner too! How will that go?**_

_**Remember to vote in the reviews, Team Frost or Team Benny (even if they weren't really in this chapter as much as we would have liked)? Review, I love those things!**_


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